


Imprimature

by baeconandeggs, ThePhoenixLight



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha!Chanyeol, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Blood Play, Dom/sub, Dubious Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, Happy Ending, Infidelity, M/M, Minor Character Death, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Omega!Baekhyun, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Slice of Life, bond neglect, mentions of misgendering, self-negligence, temporal disability/blindness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-09 22:48:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 44,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14725052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePhoenixLight/pseuds/ThePhoenixLight
Summary: Byun Baekhyun longs for a happily ever after and just a touch of warmth in a world that is dismally cruel to the likes of him. Park Chanyeol is simply confused, unsure of how to deal with this petite, adorable man who had taken his entire world and thrown it off of its axis. One thing he does promise, however, is to at least give the two of them a try.





	Imprimature

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt #:** BAE369  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
>  **Author's Note:** First of all, an enormous sorry to the prompter for butchering your prompt; the more I ended up writing, the more it got away from me and turned into this monstrous mess that it is now. So I’m sorry for that and I sincerely hope you still manage to like it even with all the changes I made. Second, to my beta: you have been the driving force behind this fic and if it hadn’t been for you, I never would have pulled it off. You whipped me into shape and managed to turn this into something actually readable and I don’t have enough words to thank you for that. Also to the mods, you guys are incredible! You have been so patient and kind and awesome, I want to cry. You guys are a gift to this fandom and I am so thankful to have had you as support during this journey. To all the readers - looking back, I realize that taking on this challenge as my first foray into the fandom might not have been the best idea, but. I hope that even with all the plot holes and errors, some of you will still like this story and enjoy yourselves while reading it.

_Once upon a time, long before the days of technology and concrete jungles, of tall skyscrapers and shady back-alleys, male omegas were regarded as beings of near otherworldly status._

_They had been revered as singularly gentle creatures: descendants of the Heavens and the first kin of Angels. The myths praised them as beings with such caring and loving dispositions that even murderers and pillagers would weep and bow at their feet in crushing remorse. It was said that, in the golden days, there hadn’t been an Alpha alive who hadn’t prayed to his stars to be mated with a male Omega and to be the one blessed with the fortune of his voice being the first a male omega hears for, as the tales go, that is the sign of true soulmates._

_Legends spoke of these odd creatures, male omegas, being doomed to never hear a single sound until they find their other half. Others would try to take them and make them their own through force or underhandedness, through possession and unholy means, but would bitterly come to regret their actions because these wolves never give themselves fully unless their curse was broken. When the sweet melody of their mate’s voice would touch their ears, these precious creatures would stop at nothing to seek them out and find them. Their wolves would immediately imprint upon them and protect them from any other who might try to take them away. They would stake their claim by forming a provisionary soul bond, and patiently bide their time until love bloomed and the other wolf was ready to become one with them. Because, the male omega is a creature that lives and breathes for their family; they can not survive a life in which their mate is not fully devoted to them. Sickness and frail health will claim them and destroy their essence if such a mating is ever to take place._

_And this is what eventually became their biggest weakness._

_Tribes fought over them and the greatest leaders alive tore each other apart, striving to prove their love and worth to these earthly gods. Entire villages vanished under the struggles to attain these wolves. Hatred and death tarnished their reputation and turned reverence into absolute fear._

_After centuries, the deep stigma surrounding them and society’s instinctual panic and distress managed to turn male omegas into what they are today: pitiful and miserable wolves which are hated and spat upon by the population at large._

_It was only natural then, that when little Byun Baekhyun was born and the first-time parents’ learned that their son couldn’t hear, terror immediately gripped them firmly in its icy arms. It was common knowledge even to the young pups that they would only began displaying their true nature once they reached puberty. So for a wolf cub to be born without hearing could only mean one thing._

_An abomination… A male omega._

_This discovery nearly tore the small family apart._

_Mother and father knew very well that society would never accept the tiny wolf. They knew that he would be despised and thrown aside, mocked and teased for his status as a fluke of nature._

_His mother cried herself to sleep for months. His father began roaming the forests, never returning home for more than a night, howling at the unfairness of his fate. Their little boy, the one that had been born premature and bald and underweight, was going to be ostracized._

_Despising male omegas and what they stood for was a way of life. Children were raised with the knowledge of these creatures’ wrongness and unworthiness and adults sneered at the very mention of it. It was taboo in polite society to even bring up the subject of their existence._

_The hurting mother was bitter that it took her husband more than a year to come around, but fully understood her Alpha’s feelings on the matter and couldn't begrudge him his choice and way of coping._

_At long last the final straw, the final step to acceptance for the Alpha, ended up being Baekhyun himself. A tiny, teething Baekhyun that had toddled towards the older man who had towered over him that night in his wolf form, and simply plopped down on his little behind with his mouth widely stretched into a grin. “Appa,” the boy had squealed, his small fists reaching forward to grab at his father’s snout, his blue eyes wide and shining in pure delight._

_The wolf vanished and in his place stood an exhausted man with tears streaming down his haggard and dirty face. “I’m sorry,” he had whimpered, even though he knew the baby wouldn’t be able to hear him. The father still couldn’t force his hands to reach for the boy and his very being still rebelled against the nature of his own blood. His mind stubbornly shoved the toddler’s abhorring misfortune at the forefront of his thoughts._

_But this was his son. And as he continued drowning in the boy’s happiness at having his father near, the man’s entire being had hurt at the thought of abandoning his little family again. That same night, he had taken his wife’s hands in his own and brought her near. They could do this. They could protect their boy from the world. But they needed a plan._

_The years had gone on one by one, following that moment. Seasons had changed steadily and their life had gone on. However, sweet and bright Baekhyun had never managed to understand his parents’ fear. He had never managed to understand why his mom and dad lied and told everyone the boy had suffered an accident at birth that had taken away his ability to hear. He was far too young to understand the danger his wolf presented. He was not able to handle the knowledge of a world that wanted to erase his existence and the sickness of the people that wished an innocent boy his death. It had taken his mother extensive efforts to even attempt to explain the truth to Baekhyun; to explain the difficult burden that had been placed on his innocent shoulders._

_Until that fateful day when Baekhyun heard shouts echoing in front of their house… and until the day tall, stony-faced men forced their way into the family’s home and grabbed him by his arms, pulling him to their side._

_His father was suddenly crying and his mother was kneeling in front of them, hands clasped in bitter desperation. Rejecting the pleas, the woman’s screams falling on deaf ears, Baekhyun had been taken away from his family and from his home, never to return again._

_Rough hands had coerced him into a black SUV, purpling the gentle, untouched skin. A harsh smack landed on the frightened boy’s cheek as he whimpered and strained against the gloved fingers that dug into him. His parents were kept by the door, held down firmly on their knees. Baekhyun’s young mind struggled to accept the sight of his neighbors, sweet Mrs. Kang who gave him sweets every time he went to visit and help her with her chores standing at the very front, keeping his parents in place by pushing on their shoulders and harshly pulling them back._

_The young boy had finally broken down and begun crying hysterically, screaming and begging for anyone to explain to him what was happening and to save him from the scary men that wanted to take him._

_But no one had ever come._

_The door to the large car had been slammed shut and a foot was pressed down onto the gas pedal, stealing Baekhyun from his happy and calm life and effectively ending his childhood._

_The adorable omega was never the same again after that cursed day._

_Memories of a once happy home soon twisted into nightmares of a cruel life and a fake reality, constantly fed into his innocent mind by those whom he was forced to call Masters._

_Quietness and meekness defined the poor boy’s existence._

_But, somewhere inside, a small spark still remained. A small fire kept on burning, hesitantly hopeful, silently certain of a better future to come. And as Baekhyun grew, it carried him over his hardest moments. The majestic silhouette of a large, black wolf would come to the growing child and snuggle into him with a sweet whine, gently licking his face in firm reassurance during the long, pitch-black nights spent in chains. When mocking taunts and slurs assaulted his ears, the same wolf would appear, unknown but intricately familiar, cradling him close and wrapping his long limbs around the smaller._

_Baekhyun never recognized the wolf that came to him in these moments._

_His own, sandy-colored familiar would remain laying on his side, shaggy ears covering his eyes in remorseful mourning. But the other wolf would always be there during his times of need. He grew with Baekhyun, becoming larger and more beautiful each year, inky black fur teasing his cheeks and skin as it enveloped the omega into him._

_Baekhyun knew nothing about him, but he knew he was real. Somehow, this wolf came to him whenever he needed him most. And it’s this that kept the omega going. It’s this that kept his hope burning and his words just that little bit tenacious._

_His wolf will come to save him. This, he knew with absolute certainty._

_His lifesaver will come for him… Someday._

>>> 

Twelve years of training and harsh discipline forces the young man to remain calm even as shivers run down his spine at the very likely scenario of what is to come: a quick and ungraceful progression of events that will end with the juncture of his neck smarting with pain and his insides painted in white.

The young omega breathes deeply, exhaling the pain of keeping his knees folded and pressed tightly to the ground and his head bowed down, almost touching his chest. Fickle memories of stolen glances and covert peeks of the man standing in front of him, paint in his mind the image of a tall and handsome male form, accented by broad shoulders and rippling muscles. Such a man is certain to loom high above his own short body, forcing him to strain his neck to the point of pain just to be able to meet his eyes.

Slow footsteps alert him to motion and his gaze locks onto the tips of expensive leather shoes brushing against the strained fabric covering his knees. The movement vibrates through the still air and his lungs contract painfully as each gulp introduces a new tangent of the Alpha’s potent, dominating scent. His body itches to move and find an escape, but he remains resolute in his position, veins thrumming with anticipation fiercely battling against deep-rooted fear.

He can feel his almost-mate’s gaze sitting heavily on his shoulders and tracing lazily over the small droplets of sweat that trickle down his neck. Even as the tiny streaks cool in the frigid room temperature, his skin feels far too overheated.

“Baekhyun…” It is a quiet murmur; just a small whisper that wouldn’t have been heard if not for the utter silence of the room.

“Get up, Baekhyun. You don’t have to bow to me.” The omega startles and his head flies up. His gaze locks onto the Alpha’s almond-shaped eyes that stare back without shame.

His own baby blues widen comically when a sleek eyebrow raises and a tiny smirk tugs on the taller’s plump lips. Without wasting a second, Baekhyun throws his head back down and squeezes his eyes shut, hoping he hadn’t made a transgression too big for the Alpha to forgive.

The full gravity of his situation shakes Baekhyun to his core. He is trapped and kneeling at the feet of an Alpha whose physical appearance betrays a man that could snap him in half with a single move. A wave of icy fear slices through his gut at the sobering thought that this was the man he was born for. This Alpha is his destined mate.

The man smiles at him, just a tiny tug of soft, heart-shaped lips, before dropping down to kneel before the boy. He allows his hands to begin a tentative exploration, tracing over Baekhyun’s jaw and trailing down his slender neck, calloused fingertips tapping lightly over the spot that would soon proudly display his bite mark and the proof of his claim. Impatiently, they wander over bony shoulders, dipping underneath the thick padding of the smaller’s suit, before wandering to the front in search of his heartbeat.

Baekhyun is uncomfortable and afraid. Each miniscule movement lights unfamiliar fires under the omega’s skin, his nerve endings feeling electrified and responding immediately to the other’s proximity. The fingertips that are touching him are rough, but the sensation is oddly soothing. It brings him an odd sense of comfort while simultaneously igniting fire wherever it passes.

The smaller is panting slightly, pale chest heaving as he fights to catch his breath. He desperately tries to bring his wolf under control and settle his hormones back to normal.

Before he makes any progress however, the taller’s hands vanish.

A tiny pout tugs his plump lips down unconsciously and the kneeling man catches the movement, eyes zeroing in on the movement. Time seems to still in those seconds.

Baekhyun gasps as he watches the taller’s eyes darken. The pupils dilate and black pools around the edges of the chocolate-colored irises. A shiver snakes down his spine when cold wetness begins to trickle out of him and tickle his thighs. An intoxicating scent invades his mind, dancing around him and drawing him tightly under the Alpha’s spell.

“Do you… want me, Baekhyun?” His lips feel too dry, mouth and tongue unable to produce enough spit for coherent movement.

He is still uncertain. A small thread of sanity remains untouched and sends alarm bells ringing through the back of his mind. But his cheeks flush at his almost-mate’s bold words, the fast rush of blood coloring his chest and neck a beautiful, rosy pink.

“Alpha, I–”

“My name, Baekhyun… Say my name.” The taller interrupts.

Baekhyun licks his lips, tongue sneaking out and he grabs the flesh with his teeth. The other is entranced by the movement, nostrils flaring as the scent of adrenaline and the first hints of arousal invade his senses.

Tightly gripping the smaller’s chin between two fingers, the Alpha brings his face close.

The two are far too close now, lips just a few measly centimeters apart, sharing breaths that freeze into fine mist as they leave their lips and dance away into the frigid air.

A heartbeat passes… and then another.

Expectation is thrumming through their veins, pouring and mingling as it leaves their pores until neither is certain whose scent they are feeling. Arousal and hesitant need mix into a potent cocktail, sinking into their skin as the heady combination saturates and overwhelms their wolves.

A groan vibrates deep in the red-haired male’s chest, his head falling back and nostrils flaring. He is losing his mind; he is steadily losing control and a feeling of powerlessness overwhelms him as he faces the tiny omega sitting in front of him. He feels irrationally angry when his wolf growls in playful anticipation and the sudden yelp from Baekhyun tells him he had sensed it as well. Surprisingly, instead of the flash of fear he expects, a flood of pheromones infiltrates the room and makes him dizzy.

“Chanyeol...”

His name falls from Baekhyun’s mouth, hesitantly walking the edges between a prayer and a curse. It sounds low and melodic; the first syllable exhaled on a gasp and the second dying out in a whimper. The simple word Chanyeol has never given much meaning to before now sounds sinful and carnal when spoken by the omega. The way Baekhyun swallows heavily afterwards, as if the name itself is enough to make his mind hazy with want, snaps the last strings of Chanyeol’s sanity. His wolf is scratching his skin, begging to come out and play, releasing toxic lust as each claw drags across his insides.

His body surges forward in one powerful movement.

He captures Baekhyun’s lips into a rough and wet kiss. The smaller is given no time to react when their mouths connect because the other’s strong hands pull him down by the waist so suddenly, he loses his balance and crashes onto a firm, defined chest. Chanyeol’s wolf preens at the inexperience present in Baekhyun. He steals the surprised whine that escapes the smaller unwillingly, taking it into his mouth and releasing it on his next exhale. The omega yields easily under Chanyeol’s experienced ministrations, tiny moans and gasps clenching and fading out as they leave his milky throat.

The Alpha wastes no time and his tongue darts out shamelessly to trace the puppy lips of the other. The flood of arousal that the boy releases floors him; it is a dizzying amalgamation of caramel and spicy nutmeg that invades and overtakes every nook and cranny of his consciousness. A growl rips through his throat as he lets his tongue poke and probe before finally growing restless and gripping the smaller boy’s chin to force it open.

A low, heavy moan escapes Baekhyun at the first press. Chanyeol’s tongue is roaming his mouth, exploring every crevice he can find. The pink muscle first traces the underside of his teeth and then prods further, wrapping around the flexible flesh and pulling the other’s tongue back into Chanyeol’s mouth. Hollowing out his cheeks, the Alpha sucks in the pretty pink tongue of the smaller and slurps at it lewdly, creating a consistent squelching sound that makes Baekhyun’s cheeks heat up.

Chanyeol’s hands don’t stay still either. While one stays firmly on his neck, preventing him from pulling back, the other roams freely, searching out all the sensitive areas that will coax out more of those sweet moans to echo around them.

While his tongue abuses and plays with the omega’s mouth, his other hand sneaks underneath the expensive, tailored suit and finds a tiny nub. Smirking against Baekhyun’s lips, he trails his index finger over it. He makes another firmer pass and then taps over it suddenly, eager to see the boy’s reaction.

And _damn_ , does Baekhyun react.

He throws his head away from Chanyeol and lets it falls back sharply. A strangled noise starts low in his throat and morphs into a high-pitched keen when it falls from his reddened, glistening lips. The tangy scent of his arousal suffocates the room and Baekhyun’s cheeks flush when he feels it begin to drip down his thighs and ruin his grey suit-trousers.

Thoroughly satisfied with the response, Chanyeol’s eyes lock onto the trail of spit that is dribbling down Baekhyun’s chin. He smiles to himself as the droplets taunt him, the crystalline beads leaking into the corners of his lips and moistening the bruised flesh. Refusing to give the boy more rest, Chanyeol pulls him back into another kiss. He attaches their mouths back together, but ends up missing the angle just slightly. Their teeth clang together and their noses collide, but he maneuvers them roughly into his desired position.

Chanyeol lets his canines drop and he leans back just enough to graze the omega’s lower lip. The sharp edge catches the tender flesh and draws such sweet-smelling blood that it fully mutes his rational side completely while his wolf moans, lost in ecstasy. His almost-mate has the sweetest blood he has ever tasted and with no warning, Chanyeol pulls the cut lip into his mouth and sucks hard. The tiny drops that coat his tongue feel like ambrosia.  

The taller keeps his hands still while he sucks, feeling bruises form on his shoulders which Baekhyun is clutching onto for dear life.

Detaching their mouths with a harsh smack, he licks over the healing wound on Baekhyun’s lip one last time before dropping his head lower to nip and suckle the skin of his jaw. As he continues to tease the smaller, Chanyeol decides to raise the stakes and brings his tongue out to play, curling it tightly around the shell of his ear and blowing gently on the wet, sensitive skin. He feels the goosebumps erupt over Baekhyun’s flesh and grins. His mate is too easy to play with. Baekhyun’s slick is polluting the air around the two of them, pulling Chanyeol in its seductive hold and growing stronger with each touch and press over the boy’s skin.

His nimble fingers drop down to the button-down hiding Baekhyun’s skin. In one swift pull, the fabric comes apart as two rags which Chanyeol discards without care. His eyes fall on the pale flesh that is laid out in front of him, about to become his personal feast, and he sucks in a breath.

_This boy is… Perfect._

Pale, unmarked skin dips around protruding collarbones and slender shoulders which extend into biceps with just the slightest definition to them. Graceful elbows continue down, tapering off into small hands graced by slender fingertips. Baekhyun has no stomach definition, but his tummy is small and soft. His waist is curvy and disappears into two indentations from which wide and supple hips flare out.

Suddenly impatient, he drops his head to Baekhyun’s collarbone and inhales deeply when he reaches the hollow of his throat. The omega’s scent feels particularly strong there and his nose gently nuzzles into it, feeling the hummingbird pace of Baekhyun’s heart.

Chanyeol pulls Baekhyun off of his knees and onto his lap. A gasp sounds from the little boy who had lost himself in the taller’s ministrations and relaxed under the heavy onslaught of arousal. As soon as he settles him, a firm hardness presses itself against Chanyeol’s thigh and its heat feels almost searing through the thin material of his slacks. A brief wander down the boy’s round behind proves him to be absolutely soaking.

His head lowers swiftly and his hands tighten around Baekhyun’s waist to prevent his possible retreat. His arms hold him hard enough to bruise and with a firm slide of his hips against the smaller’s erection, Chanyeol sinks his canines deep into Baekhyun’s neck. His teeth rip through pure, tender skin like a hot knife slicing through butter. The essence of his omega bursts on his tongue like an explosion, setting his taste buds on fire as liquid elixir seeps through the open wound and fills Chanyeol’s throat with spicy nectar.

Baekhyun screams when he feels the sting and electricity surging forward from the bite, spreading outwards into his fingertips and dipping into his stomach, instigating a burning need like he had never known existed. He begins to pant in earnest, feeling his wolf sit up on his haunches, eyes alight with heavy anticipation as he eagerly reaches out for his other half, for his mate.

A deep, sharp pull tugs at the pit of his stomach and he barely registers Chanyeol holding him by his thighs and getting up. He feels himself being carried before he is roughly pushed down onto the bed, Chanyeol’s mouth never breaking contact with his skin as the taller holds himself up by his forearms. A hand sneaks down between them as his mate continues to feed. Teasing fingertips dance over the bulge in his trousers and elicit more whimpers to fall from Baekhyun’s open mouth as he helplessly buries his head in the covers.

He is incapable of words by this point, squeezing his eyes shut and giving himself over to his Alpha. The wound in his neck throbs, but pleasure is beginning a steady waltz with the pain as each suction of Chanyeol’s lips agitates his nerve-endings and spurs on his need.

Gradually, Chanyeol stops sucking and gently retracts his teeth. His tongue laps around the skin and closes the puncture marks before he sucks the small drops of blood that have trailed down onto Baekhyun’s collarbone into his mouth quickly, unwilling to let any of the life-saving liquid go to waste.

He returns to Baekhyun’s mouth and pushes the swollen flesh open, blood and spit mixing together dirtily and leaking out of Baekhyun’s lips as he spits out the excess. The taste of pure Chanyeol and his own blood is overwhelming and makes his head cloudy, his body feeling overwhelmed by the shock of the bond and the simultaneous blood loss.

His arousal keeps on climbing higher and Baekhyun finds himself embarrassed by the strong, pungent smell of his want. He is convinced that he has already soaked though the bed, but then Chanyeol begins to stroke him in earnest, his eyes black and blown with animalistic lust, and all rational thoughts flee him.

The taller swoops down and steals a kiss. The contact lasts barely more than a second and cold air hits his face when Chanyeol releases his mouth with a loud ‘pop’. Baekhyun whines at the loss, but his Alpha simply looks at him in satisfaction, a cocky smirk pulling at his pouty lips.

His mouth and hands are suddenly everywhere, pinching and licking and sucking and Baekhyun is no longer sure if he can make it through this entire night alive. He had been expecting so many things, but it seems that he has in fact been expecting too little. A sharp canine grazes his lower stomach as it hooks around the button of his trousers before two arms quickly strip him, large biceps bulging with the movement.

A dark look crosses over Chanyeol’s face and in a flash he is grabbing Baekhyun’s legs and curling them in towards his chest, almond-shaped eyes immediately zeroing in on the small, puckered flesh he is eagerly wishing to explore.

Baekhyun blinks dazedly. He has no idea when Chanyeol could have possibly stripped, but before he is given a chance to even try and appreciate the rippling muscles and bulging abdominals of the taller, a large hand wanders to his private parts. The smaller stares at Chanyeol with cheeks flushing a violent red as his fingers begin to prod the smaller’s delicate areas, their movements made incredibly easy by his dripping wetness. He is so, so ready to be taken and filled and used. Maybe Baekhyun should have been ashamed, but Chanyeol keeps staring at his hands as they roam intently. They traverse the plains of Baekhyun’s thighs, move around and circle his rim before slipping back to the front to fist at his cock. It’s a lewd game of slip-and-slide, each touch producing a dirty squelch and Chanyeol seems riveted to the motions, his eyes locked on the sight before him.

The Alpha’s tongue darts out and he wets his lips, almost panting at the feast he had been presented with. He throws Baekhyun a quick glance and proceeds to drop his head faster than lighting. The flexible, pink muscle licks a slow strip on Baekhyun’s inner thigh and snakes back quickly into his mouth. He smacks his lips together while he pulls away slightly, as if testing the flavor.

Baekhyun has no idea what is running through his Alpha’s mind, but he must’ve found whatever he had been looking for, because before the smaller can blink, Chanyeol is back at it. He ducks down and immediately delves into the most intimate part of his petite omega, lips and tongue and teeth grazing and teasing the pink-rimmed flesh, tongue probing deep inside the puckered hole. Chanyeol releases a deep, rumbling groan as more slick drips into his mouth and the motion vibrates in his chest, making Baekhyun shiver in delight. The sound is utterly dirty and forces a new flash of heat to sear through his blood.

The smaller is crying, hands grabbing for purchase in the sheets, head flying from one side to the other as Chanyeol teases him, inciting the bundle of nerves relentlessly, lapping at it over and over, throat working heavily to swallow all that Baekhyun was giving him. A scream rips painfully from his throat when he feels the first finger enter him with a lewd sucking sound. His Alpha wastes no time and doesn’t even stop to let him adjust, setting up a quick and relentless pace that turns the omega into a gasping mess.

Baekhyun is certain that he looks positively wrecked, tears falling from his droopy eyes and his lips all red and bruised as little gasps and whimpers tear from his chest while he struggles to hold onto the covers in a futile attempt to hold on and recover a piece of his sanity. The second and third finger follow together in one, fluid motion and a fresh flash of pain courses through his lower spine, the intrusion stretching him too much and too sudden. A choked yelp escaped him and an unsteady hand flies into the air as if to stop Chanyeol, but the taller merely sends him a glance, unconcerned.

It is certainly the most painful experience Baekhyun has felt so far and his eyes squeeze shut as more tears leak out, tiny droplets leaving trails down the side of his face and disappearing into his black curls. He doesn’t know how long Chanyeol keeps up the torture, but then the thick fingers slowly start to scissor inside of him, steadily moving back and forth and grazing against his walls, relentlessly in search of something. The movements seem to slow and change speed as Chanyeol lets his lips and tongue to join his thrusting fingers. He steadies one hand on Baekhyun’s waist and squeezes the skin until Baekhyun squirms in pain and looks at him. The taller holds Baekhyun’s gaze as he slurps and sucks at the never-ending gush of slick and spit that dribble down the other’s thighs and ass. Unexpectedly, Chanyeol hits jackpot and a mind-numbing pleasure spreads through his wrecked, tortured body like wildfire. Chanyeol grins and purposely picks up his pace, pistoning his fingers back into Baekhyun, hitting the small, ribbed bundle of nerves over and over, mercilessly pounding into him with three fingers. He never touches him anywhere else, seemingly content with the extent of his abuse as he watches the puckered flesh redden and swell under his sharp movements.

Baekhyun is writhing in both pain and pleasure, uncertain of anything, except that Chanyeol mustn’t stop. He is not allowed to stop. Intelligible words fall from his lips, whisper and pleas of ‘more’ and ‘Alpha’. His tongue keeps sneaking out to wet his lips and his lungs are unable to grab enough air, while his mouth feels like sandpaper.

It is everything and not enough.

He feels too full, but he still needs something more. He needs his Alpha.

“Chan… Ch…” He never gets to finish his sentence. He isn’t even sure what he would’ve said, but Chanyeol is a smart Alpha. He knows exactly where his mate’s mind is going. Chanyeol quickly removes his fingers from the tight heat that he whines at the loss and clenches miserably around thin air when the long digits pop out with a loud suction.

The taller brings Baekhyun’s legs down and wraps them around his waist. Fingers reach up and trace the liquid around Baekhyun’s own lips, before forcing the smaller’s mouth open and laying them heavily on his tongue. While Baekhyun tastes himself, the wet muscle reaching out sloppily to wrap around the soaked fingers, Chanyeol supports himself on his knees as his other hand reaches down to grab his cock and bring him closer to his heat. He has no doubt Baekhyun will feel like utter bliss. Watching the tight hole suck his fingers in hungrily and with abandon had nearly driven the Alpha mad with want.

_No holding back._

Tearing his fingers away from Baekhyun’s warm cavern, he grabs onto his slim wrists and raises them high above his head, leaning his weight into him and surging forward.  The sensation of Baekhyun sucking in his cock as he slides into him is almost too much. He settles himself there and lies completely still for a moment, not trusting his own ability to last as his omega screams and flinches away from the unwelcome intrusion.

Growling, Chanyeol tightens his hold on Baekhyun as he begins a rocking motion, his length angled inside of the other just right to hit the hidden protrusion on each thrust. Chanyeol allows his lips to explore any available skin within reach, capturing and biting the other’s mouth, thrusting his tongue deep inside and mimicking each movement of his cock.

He licks along Baekhyun’s pulse point, staring at the purpling bite mark on his neck. A filthy grin settles on the Alpha’s face as he lowers himself enough to present his own neck to the smaller.

“Bite me.” His whisper is low and chafes over Baekhyun’s skin like velvet, his voice made hoarse from his own moans.

Baekhyun snaps his head to look at him, a bit of consciousness returning to his eyes and slightly clearing the haze in them. Tentatively, the boy lets his own canines drop as he slowly nuzzles Chanyeol’s neck, tongue dipping out carefully to taste. His Alpha’s skin is salty, the sweat and perspiration on his tongue almost making him scrunch his nose with displeasure, but underneath he can sense the faint tang of citrus and cardamom. The combination is new and just a little strange, but it tastes good so he decides to indulge himself with more.

His tongue begins to lick the lightly tanned skin, seeking to find the place where the flavor of his mate is stronger. Chanyeol shudders above him, his hips stuttering and losing rhythm. As Baekhyun latches on a spot and sucks, the taller moans and settles his weight over him, hands coming down to grab onto his waist and raise his ass further up. He snaps forward and back, the new position reaching even deeper inside of Baekhyun, initiating a fast and rough movement that forces Baekhyun’s eyes to roll back into his head, his own whimpers joining Chanyeol’s heavy grunts.

His canine catching on the wound on his lower lips stings him just enough to pull him back to reality. Quickly, he seeks out the same spot from earlier, where the essence of Chanyeol was strongest and the taller’s pulse throbs. Without wasting a moment, he bites down hard. Satisfaction swarms through him as blood flows out of the punctures and onto his tongue, some of it leaking out and dribbling down his chin as his throat works to swallow. The tug in his stomach finally finds its counterpart within Chanyeol and connects their bond with a snap, their minds and beings melding into one. The two are messy and dirty and bodily fluids are everywhere, but all he can feel is Chanyeol’s cock slamming into him, throbbing and twitching as the taller chases his release while his own pleasure thrums into his bloodstream, pumping faster and faster as sugary delight continues to trickle down his throat.

With a last gulp, Baekhyun closes his lips around the wound and swirls his little tongue around the bite. The reaction is instantaneous. Chanyeol howls, his nails sharpening into claws as his hips lose all semblance of control and shove deeper on each thrust, deliriously chasing his orgasm.

Baekhyun feels the bulbous head of Chanyeol’s cock inside of him extend and grow, sweeping into his insides. It is too deep and feels far too big, like it’s reaching all the way into his womb and is about to split him into two. Chanyeol’s knot keeps on enlarging, until Baekhyun is squirming, keening and flinching away, trying to escape the pain. A single hand wraps around his cock then, lathering the pink head in slick and pre-cum and opaque strings of bloody spit.

_One._

_Two._

_Three._

Keening from the sharp tugs on his cock, Baekhyun clenches unconsciously around the taller. The sensation is too much and overwhelms Chanyeol. He comes and his throat struggles to release an almost inhuman sound, torn halfway between human and beast while hot cum bathes Baekhyun’s walls, shooting endless spurts inside of him. The warmth splashing his inner walls and the hand squeezing him too tight forces Baekhyun into his own release and thick, white ropes coat both their chests and smear together when Chanyeol loses balance and falls on top of his omega.

It seems to last forever and end in an instant.

Baekhyun doesn’t know if he is in pure heaven or deep hell, but he sees the whites hidden behind his eyelids as his orgasm washes over him and his wolf sings, joining Chanyeol in a beautiful harmony.

 _Mate_ , their wolves yelp. _Only mine_ , they chorus.

With a pounding heart and gasping for breath, Chanyeol grabs the smaller’s waist and turns him over until he is resting on his chest. The two are still connected, the Alpha’s knot locking them together, but their breathing slowly gets easier. They lie in silence and Chanyeol’s hand leisurely trails across Baekhyun’s forearm as tiredness weighs them both down. The low temperature dries the mess of cum and blood on their bodies and Morpheus gently reaches out his arms and pulls Baekhyun into dreamland’s sweet embrace.

_Tick-tock. Tick-tock…_

>>> 

The bright sunshine of the burgeoning day finds Baekhyun much too soon and he groans, deeply annoyed by the burning light that pierces his eyelids. His tired limbs move sluggishly beneath the mountain of blankets, as the omega tries desperately to hold on to the last remnants of a fading fantasy.

_His mate holding onto his waist with large hands and enough strength to bruise, crashing his lips to his in a dirty battle of spit and tongues and teeth…_

_His mate breaking through the pure, milky skin of his neck with sharp teeth and pushing him onto the bed, deftly unzipping his pants as pleasure waltzed with pain…_

_His mate holding him down and pinning his arms above his head as he buries himself inside his tight, choking heat in a blind hurry to take him and claim him as his own and reach nirvana…_

_His mate…_

Chanyeol!

Twisting sharply to the right, a stabbing sensation slices through his lower back and Baekhyun nearly howls.

It wasn’t a dream.

Baekhyun breathes deeply through his nose, clenching his teeth as the pain slowly recedes. Slowly, afraid of hurting again, he turns his head slightly.

A pout tugs his lips down and his droopy eyes narrow as he takes in the empty bed.

He has been claimed; he is now married according to all the laws and regulations of their community. And yet, he has been left to wake up alone.

Huffing, Baekhyun heaves himself up to sit on the large bed. The room he is in is plain and unassuming, completely bare in its minimalistic furnishings and off-white walls. There is not even a hint of what had taken place here last night, as if someone has worked extra hard to make sure the event was forgotten. The only personal belongings present are the smaller’s clothes which lay neatly folded on a chair nearby and his shoes that are settled right next to it.

Baekhyun is shocked to not be able to feel even a hint of Chanyeol’s scent in the room and even as his ears perk and strain, he can’t find any signs of life anywhere in the house.

He had not only been left to wake up alone. Chanyeol had abandoned him completely.

A tremble twists the boy’s chin and his lips quiver.

_Why did he leave me alone?_

The Alpha’s gentleness from the previous night rattles through his thoughts, and a light coating of pink colors Baekhyun’s face. He is struggling to reconcile the man he had met last night, the one who had been so relaxed with his emotions, allowing them to pour out and ensnare Baekhyun with their absolute honesty and openness. The young day suddenly seems too harsh, painting the room in morose greys and melancholy-tinged blues. The brightness hurts him and makes him feel cold and feverish, forcing him out of the warm embrace of the too-big bed he feels uncomfortable to inhabit any longer.

Shaking his head, Baekhyun refuses to entertain his thoughts any further.

He realizes that his knowledge of the Alpha he belongs to is slim to none and the omega justifies the other’s absence by accepting his own placation. It is perfectly rational to assume Chanyeol is a very busy man, he thinks, and he must have had chores to complete outside of our home. Nodding to himself, he begins a mantra of quiet mumbles as he eagerly seeks out a note or a message or something, convinced Chanyeol could not have been so cruel to him.

As he carefully crawls out of bed, mindful of his aching and bruised body, he resolves to look elsewhere in the house. He takes no notice of his naked body, mind singularly focused on his goal, even as the mirror he passes reveals no traces of dusty red and white, only a canvas of purple and blue bruises painted over pale and conspicuously clean skin.

_Maybe he left something downstairs?_

Baekhyun pads barefooted across the carpet and he is distracted just enough to miss the sound of rustling paper. The tiny white square which had been left on the pillow next to him, hidden in a mountain of white bed covers, falls to the ground unnoticed.

The script on the paper is written in sharp black ink with caution and precise strokes.

The door clicks shut as the smaller walks out, still murmuring under his breath, suddenly desperate for assurance.

“Mr. Byun,

I apologize for not being here when you wake up. I am aware waking up here alone must be disconcerting to you, however, as I am sure you are a smart and understanding man, I do not feel any particular concern over your ability to grasp the need for it. Last night was… Never mind. I feel it unnecessary to explain anything further in a measly note.

We shall discuss everything in further detail when I come by the house tonight.  

Have a good day,

Park Chanyeol”

And while the note lies forgotten, the further Baekhyun traverses throughout his new home, the more he finds himself disappointed. Standing at the bottom of the simplistic, wooden staircase, he gazes at the grandfather clock positioned at the far end of the hallway while a frown twists his pretty features. The rest of the house is in no better condition than the bedroom he had woken up in and the utter emptiness of his surroundings overwhelms him. His gut churns when he is faced with the prospect of spending all of his remaining mornings like this: alone in a cold house and more than likely, unwanted.

The house itself is beautiful in its simple and straightforward layout, rising two-stories high and resting onto a platform which extended into a wonderful deck, accessible by a door he found in the kitchen.

But that is truly all Baekhyun can say about it.

All of the walls are white, no pictures or decorations adorning the blank space, stretching on and on until the omega’s eyes hurt from the seemingly endless expanses of white all blending into each other. The rooms themselves are equipped with what he feels is very expensive furniture, but unsurprisingly it is all so very bland.

The kitchen may have all the necessary utilities, but one glance inside the fridge and cupboards reveals to Baekhyun that he will have to starve today, unless he wishes to eat a suspicious looking piece of steak and wash it down with expired milk. The living room is even worse, only one sofa dominating the large space and a small table onto which a large, flat-screen TV is settled. There is no table or a rug, no bookshelf or even a small cupboard.

The omega sighs and gives up on further exploration. He doesn’t like what he is seeing so far and even as he feels his stomach rumble, he decides to go out onto the deck instead.

The platform seems to be the only place in this house that seems remotely comfortable to him, especially since it is settled in such a way that makes it look as though it melts in with its surroundings. Baekhyun is thrilled to discover that the house is built right in front of a deep, vibrant forest that simply sings to him as he sets his eyes on it.

He is hesitant to wander off onto the natural pathway that leads inside the dense covers of the trees and lies on his back carefully, the slanted roof giving him perfect protection from the sunlight.

His mind is too loud, memories and thoughts and wishes jumbling together into a mess of strings and half-caught tangents of thought. His wolf is jumping around, feeling more active than Baekhyun has felt him be in years, but there is also something weird about the playful animal. He is surrounded by a weird sense of nostalgia and he is almost mournful. It is all so complicated and the wolf refuses to cooperate when Baekhyun beckons him forwards, asking for an explanation and maybe a bit of a cuddle, if only to reassure himself.

 _Let me be_ , the animal yaps at him and bites him playfully before returning to his exploration, ears perked up and pressed back into his head. Baekhyun watches him for a few moments, how the wolf would suddenly fall still and stay that way for several seconds, before jumping up unexpectedly and releasing little huffs and happy whines.

Amused, Baekhyun pulls back slightly, but remains by his side. His wolf seems more like a dog than a wolf at the moment, but the omega has lived years with only getting the smallest hints of the creature’s existence, so he doesn’t truly mind. Of course it seems odd to him, seeing his wolf be so active, but years and years of silence in a mind that is meant to occupy several beings at once had nearly driven him mad, so he keeps quiet and is content to observe.

There is a place in his mind, where his bond with Chanyeol pulses and throbs, vibrant and alive, but he stubbornly refuses to move close to it, unwilling to find out what would happen if he tries to make contact and his Alpha shuts him out.

There is still the tinge of bitterness and discomfort following Chanyeol’s abandonment from this morning and Baekhyun is just petty enough to ignore the older until the other is forced to face him and explain himself face to face.

Of course, Baekhyun knows this may not happen.

Of course, he doesn’t really want to be this way.

Baekhyun has been trained to be submissive and subordinate to his Alpha. Moreover, it is in his very nature to obey his mate’s word as the absolute law. But Baekhyun is Baekhyun and throughout the years, he has built enough resistance to his wolf to allow for a little twisting of the rules.

The petite man will forever remain grateful to his Masters for rescuing him from the household in which he was born, but their methods of instilling obedience in him left a lot to be desired.

Lost in his mind, Baekhyun doesn’t notice the hardening of his face or the clenching of his fists as he looks back on his years spent in the Academy. He doesn’t remember the people who gave him his life, he doesn’t have any memories of them, but the bruises and cuts he has seen in the pictures following his rescue from them are enough to convince him that nights spent in a dank basement and the mocking of his peers were definitely better than the life he would have had had he stayed with those people.

He thinks of the black-furred wolf that had given him strength throughout the last twelve years, who had stayed by his side unrelentingly. That creature had been Baekhyun’s beacon of light and hope, whoever it had been, and the omega is sad to think he will never see him again.

The stubborn and willful streak he possesses, the will to endure and survive and come out alive, are all due to that odd stranger that had been his constant companion during a life’s worth of misery.

He wishes he could see him, if only for one last time, to thank the wolf if nothing more.

A sudden nip on his fingertips snaps him out of his thoughts and Baekhyun smiles when he sees his own wolf barking at him. The creature twists his head and points his snout off to the side and the small man rolls his eyes when he realizes that he is pointing to his bond with Chanyeol.

He sighs and is about to pull back from his mind when his eyes glance back and catch movement in the distance.

A four-legged animal is moving towards them, wispy and transparent, but Baekhyun is quick to recognize him.

_Lifesaver!_

His omega barks again and runs off to join the dark silhouette, the two wolves quickly engaging in a playful fight that puts a smile on Baekhyun’s lips. They seem lost in their own world, nipping and barking at each in excitement, while rolling on the dark floor of Baekhyun’s consciousness.

He doesn’t question how the other got here or why. His most trusted friend is here and he needs to say hello. The see-through form of the wolf tells him it just might be the last time.

 _Hah_ , his omega huffs, turning from his playtime to look at Baekhyun and the man can swear he sees the animal roll his eyes.

Fighting an amused grin, Baekhyun wanders closer to the two and extends a hand to the brown-eyed one. A puff and a bark fill the air as the black wolf pushes away the hand with his snout and quickly wraps himself around his legs, creating a tightrope circle, before tugging and surrendering Baekhyun to gravity. The man falls in a heap and the two animal attacks him, launching themselves at him. They nip and lick at his face and Baekhyun is laughing because it has been years since his wolf has been this happy and the joy he radiates is contagious.

But then his hand lands on the larger wolf and a crash rings out somewhere in reality at the same time chocolate-colored irises swivel around to stare at him.

Baekhyun scrunches his eyebrows as the image before him begins to shift, the cavern in his mind vanishing and the real world taking its place, but the gaze staring at him intently stays the same.

His companion’s almond-shaped eyes narrow, gleaming brightly against coal-colored fur and then widen in the next second as Baekhyun blinks and he finds himself looking at…

“Chanyeol!”

The Alpha is staring at him wide-eyed and one of his arms is reaching for the smaller, hovering in mid-air. Chanyeol’s plump lips are parted and he looks like he is panting as a heavy blush coats his high cheekbones.

Baekhyun remains frozen in his place on the ground for a moment, but then he springs into action, jumping nimbly onto his feet and nearly knocking into the taller in his haste. His face quickly grows as red as Chanyeol’s hair and he visibly winces as he makes another faux pass after another, burying himself into more trouble as the seconds tick by.

“Oh I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? I apologize if I did! I am so, so sorry, Cha- I mean Alpha.” He bows deeply, his torso becoming parallel to the floor. Butterflies swarm his stomach and the omega shivers in anticipation. The man seemed to be forgiving, at least kind if nothing else, but he was still a stranger to Baekhyun. His cold abandonment this morning crosses his mind and another wince makes him shiver, his lips dropping into a pout.

“Baekhyun, please raise your head.”

A shudder visibly shakes the younger’s body as the deep bass of his Alpha’s voice passes through him, rekindling fires that had been brought to life the previous night and shooting electricity through his veins.

In the stark light of the day, the lilting syllables seem soothing, like being covered with a warm blanket on a cold day, making warmth bloom in his chest. Comfort envelops him like a mother’s embrace and Baekhyun stutters, conflicting emotions pulling inside of him and confusion running rampant through his system.

“A-alpha?” he questions.

“Just Chanyeol is okay, Baekhyun.”

The omega raises himself to his full height, which is still a good head shorter than the other man. He can’t focus on him, eyes refusing to look at his face, so he settles his wandering gaze on Chanyeol’s tie. He takes in the simplicity of it, a simple black material with a single line of white drawing down one side. It makes for a nice contrast against the stark whiteness of the taller’s collared shirt and Baekhyun nearly grumbles in discontent as he is reminded of the bleakness of the house he had sought to escape earlier.

Chanyeol, for his part, is simply confused.

He had escaped any possible confrontations due to happen that morning by making an even earlier-than-usual run to his office. He wasn’t prepared to deal with the consequences of his own actions and he still isn’t right now. The sensation that he had fallen victim to, the lust and need that had drowned him and robbed him of any rational thought, the beast that Baekhyun had awakened… He’s utterly unprepared to comb through any of it and escape had seemed the best option.

Hindsight however, had brought with it a sharp wake-up call.

Standing in line to buy lunch for himself and his assistant, he had remembered suddenly the sorry state that his kitchen was in. He knows the contents of his own cupboards and a pang of guilt blooms in his chest when he realizes he has nothing edible at home.

Despite not wanting to confront the omega just yet, Chanyeol didn’t want to let the small man starve. Memories of roaming Baekhyun’s pale skin, while making his cheeks burn with heat, served as a stark reminder of the younger’s protruding ribs and fragile appearance. Unexpectedly, the Alpha was suddenly hit with an odd desire to see those protrusions vanish under a healthy layer of good, fattening food.

So even through his hesitation, he had told his assistant to cancel his meetings for the rest of the day and to excuse him in front of his clients, and had rushed out the door to the nearest restaurant that served take-out.

Armed with several boxes of mouth-watering dishes, he had driven home. The anxiety and hesitance he was feeling nearly overwhelming him, but ultimately losing to the desire to simply feed his…

Scowling, Chanyeol brings a hand to his face and rubs his tired eyes. _What even is Baekhyun to him now?_ _Mate_ , his wolf yelps playfully in response and while Chanyeol knows this to be true in theory, the practical side of it is far more difficult to accept.

Years of living alone, only entertaining passing amusements that were gone by the time dawn broke, had borne within him a certain dislike for anyone invading his personal space. He enjoys his quiet time and cherishes it as if it was a precious commodity which could be ripped away from him at any moment. When he is at home, away from the poison and back-stabbing that permeates his workplace, he finally gives himself a reprieve and a chance to relax.

Chanyeol is not sure how he feels about another person invading that peace, a stranger no less, in the form of his mate of all things. His male mate…

That particular thought leads down a dangerous path the Alpha doesn’t want to tread. He remembers his lessons as a young pup, firmly nestled into his mother’s lap. And he also remembers the firm words of his Elders who had practically tied his hands in the matter. He had been given no choice, only a firm ultimatum they knew with certainty Chanyeol would accept, but it didn’t erase the man’s conflicting feelings on the subject.

So he’s been avoiding the truth of the situation, burying it deep in his mind and out of his conscious thoughts, choosing to treat it as a simply hypothetical scenario.

What he hadn’t expected was the explosion that the petite omega had brought with him the second he had stepped into Chanyeol’s line of sight and the almost tangible want that had curled around each of his senses like a vice and pulled him to the smaller with a single-minded determination.

So when he woke up this morning, he chose to run away and ignore the entirety of last night’s events.

Until this moment.

Watching the beautiful omega in front of him, Chanyeol feels the first cracks in his resolve and that same sharp pull from last night and he refuses to let it capture him again.

He sets his jaw and clenches his fists, studiously avoiding taking a closer look at Baekhyun, who was still standing in front of him with a flushed face and wriggling hands.

“I- ,” his voice cracks and he gnashes his teeth, breathing in slowly through his mouth. The other’s scent is absolutely tantalizing. “I brought food,” he raises the bags in his hands and hopes his expression conveys the right emotions. He tries to seem apologetic and open, though as Baekhyun’s face shows the beginnings of bewilderment, he begins to think he hasn’t quite succeeded.

So, he lets the words hang in the air between them as he turns away and moves into the kitchen. He makes no effort to set the table, not really seeing much need for it, and instead simply opens the various containers and sets out napkins for each of them to use, along with the prepackaged, cheap wooden chopsticks.

He fully expects Baekhyun to follow him and finds himself surprised when he turns and finds the other standing uncomfortably in the archway, posture slumped and hands twisting together in front of him. The omega’s head is slightly lowered, baby blue eyes shyly peaking at Chanyeol from beneath long lashes and the older finds himself once again struck mute from the utter innocence emanating from him.

Baekhyun looks simultaneously like a deer caught in headlights and a young child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, with his lower lip jutting out while the upper is hidden from view and trapped in his teeth. The redness has finally receded from his youthful features and it reveals the stark paleness of his skin, the sharp contrast of it against his black hair giving him an almost otherworldly glow.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the ridiculous thoughts, Chanyeol clears his throat and plops himself down onto the bar stool, “come on then,” he calls. “Get over here and dig in while it’s hot.” 

Baekhyun squeaks in agreement and shuffles over to the chair next to the taller, settling himself carefully onto it. He looks at Chanyeol, waiting for some sort of signal, but even after several moments pass, the other man still says nothing.

“A-alpha, I mean Chanyeol, I’m sorry,” he begins, but then realizes he isn’t sure what he wants to say.

His Alpha saves him from scrambling around for a coherent sentence when he simply points his chopsticks to the open boxes of food and then to Baekhyun. _Eat_ , he’s saying.

Nodding meekly, Baekhyun picks up his own chopsticks and slowly digs in. His stomach is rumbling and when the first bite touches his tongue and the flavor explodes over his taste buds, he lets out a low moan and  practically shovels the food in his mouth. Lost in his own euphoria and the delight of filling his belly with delicious food, he misses the way Chanyeol’s ears redden at the unconscious sound and the way the other lowers his head and nearly hides in the container he is holding, biting onto his lips and holding back a groan of his own.

It is only much, much later into the day, after the food has been fully obliterated and the kitchen island cleared of all the empty packets and dirty napkins and the two are sitting in awkward silence, nursing their glasses of water, does the topic of conversation enter both of their minds.

Chanyeol is lost in his thoughts, wondering how best to approach the subject of their sudden joining and life together. He knows he needs to clarify things with the omega and although he is firmly convinced in his decision to not formalize their union, he understands that due to his own foolish actions, going back in not an option.

He doesn’t know anything about Baekhyun. No details of his life and family had been given to him before the smaller had been brought to the house, but just the fact that Baekhyun had had to be walked through his front door held up by two thugs and that it had taken Chanyeol nearly two hours to bring the other back to full consciousness, makes him uncomfortable and uncertain in his wish to pursue the matter further.

So he bites his tongue and casts surreptitious glances at Baekhyun who, now that his hunger had been satisfied, seemed to have shrunken back in on himself and was fiddling with his hands tucked into his lap. How was Chanyeol supposed to break this man’s heart?

He looked more like a pup himself, rather than a grown wolf. Chanyeol was fully aware of the prejudices he must’ve faced and he had a vague image of the life he must’ve led, and yet Baekhyun held such a youthful innocence and naivety about him that made the notion of hurting him simply unbearable. A knot twists in his throat at the thought and Chanyeol curses in his mind because this was not what he had wanted.

While family had not been anywhere near the top on his list of short-term goals, it was still there, somewhere in the horizon. The Alpha had always imagined mating a pretty omega girl; petite and delicate, but strong enough to bear him healthy heirs. Someone like his assistant, if he had to put an image to a face. Now that illusion had been shattered and something akin to anger stabs at Chanyeol’s chest as he looks at Baekhyun, his _male_ mate. The boy certainly fits the Alpha’s criteria. _Except…_ He wants to laugh.

How is Chanyeol ever supposed to tell anyone that he had a male omega waiting for him at home, instead of a nice and educated girl? How is he supposed to explain to his friends that, if they ever came over, instead of long, flowing hair and legs that went for days, they would find a short boy with mussed, black hair and voluptuous hips that could put models to shame?

Fear churns in his gut and the contradicting sensations of worry and doubt batter against his senses.

At the end, the answer is surprisingly simple, brought about by a faint humming.

Baekhyun is still slumped on the stool next to him, head resting down on his neck and long bangs covering his eyes. His pianist fingers twist and curl into each other as he tilts his head from one side to the other. His body moves slightly in a small sway and a tune Chanyeol hasn’t heard since his childhood, escapes from lightly-parted, pink lips.

It is an old lullaby the Alpha is intimately familiar to him, his mind replacing the image of Baekhyun for a mere second with the image of his own mother, sweetly singing him the same melody to him night after night, before greed and poverty polluted her mind and took her away from him, far away from the tiny, forgotten village. 

Chanyeol blinks, ashamed from the unwanted wetness suddenly blurring his sight, and Baekhyun is back into his line of vision, quietly murmuring the lyrics under his breath. His voice is as entrancing to the Alpha as a siren’s call, enticing him under the spell Baekhyun effortlessly weaves, unconscious of his own beauty and ignorant of the dark thoughts that suddenly crowd the older’s mind.

The naivety in the omega’s posture and the childlike quality of his behaviors clashes with Chanyeol’s vivid memories of the shorter male writhing beneath him, squirming and crying as the Alpha played with him. The soft voice gently humming brought to mind vibrant images of Baekhyun’s voice, broken with lust and recalled the unintelligible gargles that had escaped from his slender throat as he moaned and choked under the weight of the taller’s tongue and cock. Baekhyun was a study in contradictions, it seemed, and it is obvious to Chanyeol that the other remained painfully unaware of his own appeal. The youthful energy he possess and the complete purity he exudes muddle Chanyeol’s mind and make him want to bring back the vixen he had met the previous night.

The Alpha wants to break through the innocent act and draw out the hungry animal that lays hidden beneath the pure façade. He wants to tear down the smaller’s walls and carve out a place inside him.

So, he takes his chance.

“Baekhyun-ah.”

Startled, Baekhyun chokes on a stray bit of saliva and releases a strangled yelp as he coughs. He had been lost in his thoughts, miles and miles away from his current surroundings and he realizes in hindsight, that it had been far from the best idea.

“Yes, Chanyeol?” he makes his voice small on purpose. The taller man sitting next to him hadn’t exhibited any worrying behavior so far, but Baekhyun is not so quick to draw conclusions. He treads carefully and the recollections of all his transgressions with his Alpha are scarily clear in his mind. He feels like he is walking a mine-field and every second in which Chanyeol remains quiet is another moment in which Baekhyun wishes to bite his nails in anxiousness.

“Let’s try, Baekhyun-ah,” Chanyeol’s voice is quiet. Only the utter silence in the room allowed the words to reach the other and he finds himself so shocked at what he hears that his legs kick out, pushing against the side of the counter and his arms fly into the air as he sends himself flailing off of the stool.

He braces himself for the impact, whining pitifully in his throat. Tile floors hurt like a bitch and he regrets knowing this first-hand. He has no time to twist his body to avoid a direct hit, so he just braces himself and lets gravity do the rest, already anticipating the pain and the killer bruises he’ll wake up with tomorrow.

Except, the hit never comes.

He is caught hanging awkwardly in mid-air, torso nearly parallel to the floor and legs twisted oddly beneath him, as one is still tangled in the leg of the stool and the other supports him by his tiptoes. But there is a warmth on his waist that hadn’t been there a moment ago and his hands are clutching at crisp, pressed material, so Baekhyun dares to crack an eye open.

Chanyeol is holding him.

The taller had jumped from his own stool the second he saw Baekhyun hurtling towards the ground, the chair falling behind him in a deafening crash. He had barely managed to catch the omega in time and was now standing, a smile playing on his lips, as he waited for the other to realize he wasn’t going to fall and that he is safe.

As Baekhyun dares to open his eyes fully, a smirk stretches Chanyeol’s lips and his eyebrows wiggle almost playfully. He hoists the shorter back up, pulling him into an upright position with enough strength that it sends him careening into the Alpha’s chest.

The man squeaks as his cheek smashes against the taller’s chest and he pouts at the light pain that radiated through his face as a result.

Chanyeol chuckles at the childish response and tightens his hands that still cling to the male’s waist.

He cautiously brings his head lower, right over the smaller’s ear, nuzzling his nose into Baekhyun’s jaw and cheek. The warmth the petite body pressed against his is giving off messes with his head, the adrenalin hanging heavy in the air around them and the fast pounding of the other’s heart feeling almost ticklish against his stomach.

He isn’t thinking anymore, having reached his decision and having made his peace with it. He allows instinct to guide him as he presses Baekhyun more firmly against himself and breathes warm air onto the other’s neck. The position makes the proof of Chanyeol’s claim clearly visible and it makes him draw in a sharp breath as the sight of nearly makes him dizzy.

Baekhyun is shivering in the embrace and the scent around them is changing almost imperceptibly, tone by tone, descending into something heavier and more appetizing.

“Did you hear what I said?” Chanyeol whispers in the omega’s ear, delighting at the tremor that shakes the shorter in response. “Will you… give me a chance, Baekhyun?” he deliberately brings his lips to ghost over the shell of Baekhyun’s ear, nearly kissing the words onto the tender skin there, before dropping further down and simply resting his lips over the mark he had made last night.

It drives him crazy and control is quickly slipping away from his grasp. Nothing had been achieved today and his earlier intention of stopping this craziness before it gets the chance to grow any further is completely forgotten. He doesn’t want to fight against the feeling of _want_ that is swelling up inside his chest right now. The lust is burning through him and clouding his judgment.

He needs the beautiful man that is resting in his arms. He desires him and he doesn’t have any idea of what to make of their situation, but for now, he is willing to risk it and let things run their course. He is confused and apprehensive and force of habit tells him he is going to severely regret his decision in the morning, but at this moment he can’t find any will to care. 

>>> 

In the end, Chanyeol discovers that there is something about Baekhyun that makes life with him a surprisingly simple and easy affair.

The man himself is like a storm, an infinitely tempting hurricane of sassy words and sashaying hips and puppy pouts, taking Chanyeol’s life and tilting it on its axis, upturning everything the elder has ever thought he’d known. But… the smaller is also gentle smiles and slow massages after a long day at work and embarrassed glances whenever he messes up which melts the Alpha’s heart and infuses his chest with such beautiful warmth that makes it impossible to be mad at the boy. 

The two fit surprisingly well together, even when Chanyeol likes his coffee black and bitter, while Baekhyun wouldn’t even dream of touching the stuff and the taller likes his down time to be quiet and peaceful and his little mate is an absolute chatterbox, full of manic and unrelenting energy.

Of course, Chanyeol had tried to establish a firm dynamic between the two at the beginning.

A full week of Baekhyun unsubtly trying to beg Chanyeol into letting him out of the house for a run or a simple trip to the store had run his nerves ragged, to the point of nearly snapping at the smaller. Reaching his breaking point, the Alpha had gritted his teeth and carefully sat the younger man down to lay the ground rules of what was and what wasn’t acceptable to do around the house.

Perhaps Chanyeol was still uselessly clinging to some old day-dreams of his about a meek and filial housewife, who would obey her mate with no opposition or cheek. And maybe he was still trying to reconcile the picture of loud and boisterous Baekhyun with the image planted in his head by his family of a dirty, sickly creature who was lower than the grime stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

However, to his credit, he was trying. Chanyeol was doing all that was in his power to ease the strain on the omega, to make the transition into his new life as easy and painless as possible, while still firmly nudging him into his preordained role of a wife and mate to an Alpha of the taller’s status.

Going out was never allowed and nor was answering the phone. Baekhyun was not to have a cellphone and nor was he to have any say in the dealing of the household’s finances. A daily cleaning of the house and doing the laundry was an absolute requirement. The omega was not allowed to open the door to anyone, since Chanyeol had his own key, and he was never to enter the Alpha’s study unless previously permitted.

All in all, Chanyeol was truly convinced that he wasn’t asking for much.

Baekhyun still refused to open up to him, though, craftily evading any questions about his past with either overly-enthusiastic diversions or at times simply silence.

The arrangement seemed to work… for a while. At least until Baekhyun had started to realize Chanyeol was in actuality a big softie who had developed a terrible weakness for the smaller’s pout. From then on, the omega had loosened up, taking more and more liberties, while still carefully tiptoeing the line between Chanyeol’s soft and hesitant ‘no’s and what he had explicitly forbidden.

Worming his way into Chanyeol’s bed had been just one of those things.

Baekhyun craves warmth. He craves the touch and presence of another living being at night, when the deep darkness chokes any meager remnant of light and the buzzing of life dies down into stillness. Chanyeol, on the other hand, hated being touched. Sex was, of course, not an issue, but he simply couldn't stand cuddling or any other form of overly-clichéd romantic expressions.

All it took was one look into Baekhyun red-rimmed and tired eyes and his pink lips drooping at the corners before the taller man relented and lifted the edges of his covers so the smaller could crawl in, grumbling under his breath the entire time. Chanyeol had tried to establish a limit, him on one side of the bed and Baekhyun on the other, but waking up to the omega’s limbs wrapped around his body like overgrown vines had stirred something in the older’s chest. So instead, he had just rolled his eyes and pushed the feeling away, even while the corners of his mouth were raised in the tiniest of smiles.

The two had slept together every night since then.

If there is one thing Baekhyun is truly good at, it is cooking. The kitchen is his domain and he utterly excels at it, which Chanyeol is infinitely happy about and eternally grateful for since it means no more take-out and cold, disgusting cafeteria food for him. However, while the shorter man thrives in the kitchen and never fails to enjoy coming up with all sorts of different dishes, naturally using Chanyeol as his trusted taste-tasting guinea-pig, he is absolutely awful at chores.

The omega never fails to make an even bigger mess every single time he grabs the vacuum or a rag and tries to clean. Already, he had managed to break a sizable amount of Chanyeol’s perfectly preserved dining set and had even accidentally dropped a beautiful, emerald-adorned vase given to the Alpha as an heirloom.  

That had been the one time that Baekhyun had seen Chanyeol truly and frighteningly angry.

The older had hissed at him, nails quickly extending into claws and long canines dropping into pointy spikes that protruded from his mouth. He had moved onto the scared omega in a heartbeat, grabbing him by his neck and slamming him into the nearest wall. Chanyeol had rumbled in his chest, deep growls escaping his mouth, as he snapped his jaws and his chocolate irises faded into inky, black pools.

Baekhyun was utterly terrified and years of similar treatment immediately forced his knees into buckling, trying to shrink down and make himself appear as small as he could, even as Chanyeol was still holding him up by the neck, while his head rolled to the side, wide-open for a direct bite.

A whimper he tried, but failed to contain, escaped his lips and eyes watered. Breathing in through his mouth became a chore, so he focused on tightening his chest and breathing through his nose as shallowly as he could. A steady stream of tears soon followed, salty droplets making uneven lines down his pale face and dropping onto the Alpha’s hand.

Noticing the unexpected wetness, Chanyeol had heaved in a sharp breath and thrown himself away from the smaller, back sharply hitting the edge of the sofa. His claws had vanished within the blink of an eye and a petrified whine echoed in the air as the full consequence of his actions started to sink in. He stared at Baekhyun in abject horror as the other crumbled to ground, knees unable to support him anymore, while silent sobs shook his entire frame. His face was hidden firmly between his hands and he had curled in on himself, seemingly unaware that the danger had passed.

“Baekhyun?” a tiny croak that broke on the second syllable was all that Chanyeol could manage, his chest seizing up in pain and his heart pounding from the adrenaline. “Hyun-ah, I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean it, Baekhyun.” The omega didn’t answer, didn’t even move, save for a single wince he would’ve missed, had he not been so intently focused on the other.

Instead, Baekhyun took a deep breath and a muscle in his jaw popped. “I apologize, Alpha. Punish me as you see fit,” and with that, he got up on unstable legs that trembled as he moved. Several quick steps took him up the stairs and away from the man that still hadn’t moved from his place, frozen and unable to move even a single step. Chanyeol had to fix things. He had to make things better.

_But how?_

The answer comes to Chanyeol unexpectedly, after a whole night of sitting outside of their bedroom door, pitifully begging for the other to let him in. Baekhyun never answers, but he smells the pungent scent of fear and doubt, under which lies a healthy dose of self-deprecation and loathing. Each time he breathes, a new crack appears in the Alpha’s chest and he lets his head fall back on the sturdy wall behind him, trying desperately to come up with a solution, but failing miserably.

And then, at nearly 5am, he gets his chance. His phone beeps with an incoming text and the name on his display ignites a spark of something in his chest that leaves him invigorated and with a new sense of purpose.

_Seohyun! Of course!_

His assistant is a demure woman, uptight and obedient, if a little flirtatious, but she is still an omega, sensitive and with far more experience in matters of the heart, so she is sure to be able to help him.

But as soon as the thought hits him, Chanyeol stops again and lets his shoulders slump.

To ask her for help would mean letting her in on his little secret, and as wrong as it feels to refer to Baekhyun in that way, the Alpha is still reluctant to allow anyone to know his new status as a taken man. Of course, telling Seohyun the truth would also mean hurting her.

Chanyeol is slow on the uptake at times, but he is well aware that he has been leading her on for years and that it had only been a matter of time before the two made the next step into bridging the gap between a professional relationship and a personal one. Truth be told, Chanyeol himself had been egging her on, constantly dropping little hints and making flirtatious remarks.

In the last month that he and Baekhyun had been mated, he had completely pulled back from her, still feeling apprehensive and unsure of what he truly wanted. He is aware that she must already be feeling confused and that his evasiveness and less-than-warm behavior must have hurt her, at least to some degree. To inform the poor girl of Baekhyun’s existence feels like a betrayal, even if they have never made anything official.

Still, Chanyeol is feeling desperate and he fears Baekhyun’s silence, even if he doesn’t quite understand why. The younger male’s silence and the steady, choking hold of his emotions are messing with his head and all he knows is that he wants to make this right. He wants to see the shorter smile again. He wants his little omega to be happy and brimming with energy again.

So he stands up and dusts himself off, moving along the corridor and down the stairs while dialing a number he already knows by heart.

 _Seohyun will move on_ , he tells himself. _She’ll be hurt for a while, but she’ll be okay soon enough._

Sitting opposite the pretty woman in a small café across their office, Chanyeol surprises himself when the truth slips out of his mouth far easier than he expected. He is quick to vouch for Baekhyun’s character, while skimming over the omega’s background and the way they had been introduced.

Soon enough, without any conscious thought, he begins regaling Seohyun with Baekhyun’s quirks and his funny mishaps. When he finally manages to bite his tongue and stop praising his mate, he looks up to see the woman in front of him looking less than impressed, with her lips tightly pressed together as she swallows a sip of her bitter coffee.

“Chanyeol,” she begins and the tone of her voice immediately tells the Alpha that he’s in for a tough conversation. “Have you thought about what people will say? Your family? Your friends? You think Yifan and Minseok will accept this? Do you think Junmyeon, your own brother, will be okay with this arrangement? Your mate is a male omega, Chanyeol. Think about what happened the last time there was such a case in this country? Can you even remember?”

Chanyeol simply sits and allows her to say her share. He knew this wouldn’t be easy and that getting people to accept his union with Baekhyun would mean fighting tooth and nail against the entire community. But to have it so blatantly thrown in his face: the harsh reality of what it would mean to go public with his marriage, leaves a bitter taste in his mouth that has nothing to do with the black coffee he is drinking and his heartbeat quickening sharply.

Truth be told, he had been living in a bubble for the past month. He had shut himself off in his house, _their_ house now, and had kept an iron rule over who was allowed to invade the safe haven the two had created. Chanyeol had gotten comfortable, far too excited over the cute omega’s antics and mannerisms and simply happy over the intimate companionship he hadn’t allowed himself to experience in far too long.

He didn’t begrudge Seohyun for harshly pulling him back to reality. He understood where she was coming from, but it didn’t mean that it stung any less.

“I… understand that, Seohyun. You’re right, it will be far from easy. In fact, it might be the most difficult thing I will ever do,” he stops to take a breath, carefully thinking over his words.

What was keeping him from kicking Baekhyun out, anyway? Why couldn’t he just give up and say goodbye to the other? He liked him, sure. He was fun and gentle and his blue irises were mesmerizingly tender whenever they fell upon the taller and completely impossible to handle at times, but why was Chanyeol so adamant about keeping him around?

Sighing to himself, he realizes he doesn’t really have to try to come up with an excuse. The answer is more than obvious to him, “I have to at least try, Seohyun. You don’t know what I know. You haven’t seen what I’ve seen.”

_Baekhyun, nestled under the covers of the guest room, twisting and turning, as tears streamed down his face._

_Baekhyun, pale and ashen, as Chanyeol lets his temper get the best of him and raises his voice._

_Baekhyun, crossing the threshold quickly and leaving behind a dark room with jittery steps, hands nearly shaking in fear._

The man is like a ray of sunshine that had cannonballed into his life and made him question his very existence. He filled all the dark corners in Chanyeol’s head with light. And, even if he drives Chanyeol up the wall half the time, he wants to know more. He wants to know what makes the man tick. He wants to know what sordid demons lurk in his past. He wants to know… _everything_.

“I can’t give you any more than that right now. I can only ask for your help. That’s all I need, please. Just one person who believes in me. Please be that person, Seohyun-ah.”

To her credit, even as her blood is boiling, Seohyun manages to soften her features enough to force a soft smile on her face. Deep anger is rushing through her veins and she is certain she could strangle that Baekhyun had he been with them at the moment, but she simply takes a subtle breathe and continues smiling.

She’ll find a way to turn this in her favor, even if it’s the last thing she does.

“I see.” Her hands surreptitiously tighten around the still warm cup and she allows herself a small release by further clenching her hold on it. Her emotions are kept on a tight leash under her skin as she works on mustering the proper amount of hesitation and faith that would be believable enough to fool Chanyeol when she slowly releases them in the air.

“I can’t say I like it, Chanyeol. I have been your assistant for years now and we have been friends for almost as long as that,” she begins loosening her emotions, pushing forth the proper cocktail that will trick Chanyeol in trusting her when he feels it. “I simply don’t want to see you hurt. I want you safe and happy, you know that. But, if that man is what you want… if trying is what you want… I’ll help you.” The assistant punctuates her words with a warm flood of sincere affection and judging by the easy smile that lifts Chanyeol’s lips and his long exhale of relief, she has accomplished her mission.

_Hook, line and sinker… I’ve got you now, Chanyeol-ah._

“Thank you, Seo-” “-But I have a condition.”

“Oh?” Chanyeol’s eyes snap to hers and his wide eyed stare tells her he is ready to fulfill her every wish, just as long as she supports his little tryst with the male bitch.

“Let me move in with the two of you.” Steeling herself against the Alpha’s possible arguments, she starts to cement her role as the concerned friend. “I can’t say I fully accept him yet, Chanyeol. We all know the stories. However imagine if word gets out? Imagine if someone finds out about him? You’ll both be crucified by the community. Chanyeol, this way I could help the both of you, don’t you see?”

She reaches across the table and gently takes the man’s hands in her own. “Isn’t he lonely, Chanyeol-ah? All alone in that big house of yours, day in and day out… it must be maddening. Besides, you said he’s awful at chores and that, my dear friend, is something I just so happen to excel at.” She finishes with a flirtatious wink and giggle into her free hand. Inside, her heart feels ready to explode because if Chanyeol suspects her, even for a second, it is game over for her and several years’ worth of work will go to waste. Not something she’s willing to let happen without a fight.

“I’ll… I’ll have to think this over, Seohyun-ah.” The Alpha takes a deep breath and begins to think over the consequences having the pretty omega in the house could have.

While female omegas are not territorial by nature, Chanyeol just doesn’t have anywhere near enough information about how male omegas work to be able to make an accurate judgment. And even if Baekhyun is okay with it mentally, would his emotional state be able to handle having a former flame of Chanyeol’s living with them? They are still so unused to living together, despite the simple routine they’ve created for themselves so far.

“I’m not saying no,” he takes hold of his assistant’s hands and squeezes gently, letting her know with an affectionate smile that he is not hesitating because he doesn’t want her with them. Because he actually does want her there… if he is to be totally honest. He can’t be a hypocrite and say that there isn’t a part of him that still cares about the woman. Some part of him still likes her and would enjoy her daily presence by his side enormously. It’s just that the rest of him is choosing to put Baekhyun first, if only this once. “I’m saying give me some time to think this through.”

“Of course, Chanyeolie!” she grins at him and as her eyes dance in the bright sunshine that peeks through the window of the café, Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat.

_Why couldn’t she have been my mate…?_

“Let’s leave that conversation for another day, shall we? Instead let’s plan on how to get you and that b-… boy of yours back together, hm?” her eyes crinkle a bit at the edges when she laughs. The Alpha’s chest hurts when he catches himself in a daze at the sight of the tiny motion.

He hasn’t been alone with this woman in a whole month, constantly shadowed by demanding employees and curious eyes. This is an eye-opener for him: he can come to her with such a story, breaking her heart in the process, and she can still smile at him so prettily.

With a huff, his wolf suddenly appears out of nowhere, as he often does these days, and rolls his eyes at him, growling softly.

_No matter what me and Seohyun could have become in the future and no matter how much I like her, Baekhyun is all that matters now._

Maybe if Chanyeol repeats that thought in his head  enough times, someday he’ll convince himself to actually believe it. For now, he can only hope.

>>> 

To Chanyeol’s relief, Baekhyun’s forgiveness turns out to be much easier to attain than he had originally thought and it is more than enough to distract him from his wandering thoughts.

It comes two days later when, as per Seohyun’s suggestion, he prepares several carefully placed notes where the smaller was certain to see them and fulfilling the omega’s biggest wish: going outside.

The Alpha still doesn’t let the smaller into the city, but he does manage to find a beautiful grove where he can take the other on a picnic. It is conveniently located, at a walking distance from their house, but sufficiently far from civilization that encountering other people would be extremely unusual.

Chanyeol prepares the food on his own, even if he feels severely unsuitable for the task, and makes sure to cook the few dishes he knows are Baekhyun’s favorite. He takes drinks and a small cloth they can lay on the ground and also, clothes that are easy and quick to change in and out of, with the purpose of giving Baekhyun a chance to let his wolf stretch his legs and go for a run around the forest. 

Baekhyun’s eyes sparkle with annoyance in the morning sun as Chanyeol drags his grumbling omega to the hidden paradise but was quick to change and become alight with excitement and disbelief. Those baby blues nearly brim over with anticipation when Chanyeol begins laying out the food on the makeshift picnic blanket. The Alpha can almost imagine a fluffy tail wagging from the smaller’s behind.

Seeing the omega so happy makes Chanyeol laugh, even as he rolls his eyes at him. He stops setting the food and instead takes a change of clothes out of the bag he had brought and smirks. “Go on, you big baby, I know you’re about to tackle me and take off.” 

In response, Baekhyun does tackle him, throwing his slender arms around the taller in a tight hug that only lasts for a few seconds before he quickly grabs the clothes and runs off.

Even through his laughter, Chanyeol managed to shout out a warning. “Be careful, Hyun-ah. And I want you back here in half an hour before all the food gets eaten by ants.”

He doesn’t receive an answer apart from a hyperactive barking echoing throughout the trees and he laughs again, warmth blossoming in his chest at the younger’s contagious enthusiasm. His voice shudders with mirth as he shakes his head at the puppy-like qualities the other possesses and his youthful energy. He debates following after him for a moment, joining him for a quick game of hide-and-seek before rolling his eyes at his own childishness. The omega was rubbing off on him far too much. Running a hand through his hair and scratching the back of his neck, Chanyeol lets his smile fall as he continues setting up their little picnic.

Today is shaping up to be such a good day that he truly doesn’t feel like ruining it by bringing up the matter of Seohyun living with them right now. He doesn’t want to make Baekhyun mad again so soon after the younger had finally forgiven him.

He tells himself _maybe tomorrow_ and settles in to enjoy the day ahead, but between a whirlwind of incompetent employers, questioning eyes and home-made meals, Chanyeol simply forgets. Well, pretends to at least, because his comfort levels are at their maximum and he hates rocking the boat unnecessarily. Time marches on, tick by ruthless tick and before he can make sense of it, three weeks have gone by. And it is only after full three weeks later that Chanyeol finally forces himself to bring up the topic with the smaller male.

It is a Sunday, a lazy day for the kind-of couple.

They had just finished a nice dinner, a large spread of take-out today because Baekhyun had woken up with a headache and Chanyeol was a softie for the shorter and didn’t have the heart to force him to cook in his state.

The omega was currently lying on the couch with his head stubbornly settled onto the Alpha’s lap, even after the other’s numerous attempts to push him off. Any hint of personal space and limits Chanyeol might’ve had, tended to evaporate whenever Baekhyun was in question.

The taller was reading, or trying to at least. It was an odd, boring novel that didn’t manage to capture even a hint of his interest, if his re-reading of the same page for the fourth time was any indication. It’s only because the novel is positively tedious and dull, he thought. Definitely not because his head is in my lap and is… _oh fuck!_

Baekhyun was pressing and twisting his neck onto Chanyeol’s thighs, releasing small pants of frustration as he buried his face deeper in the other’s lap, seeking a more comfortable position. His eyebrows were scrunched together and those pouty lips were turned downwards. One hand was across his forehead, shielding him from what little light managed to peek through and excite his headache further.

With a whine the omega kicked out his legs, feet stomping over the sofa cushions like a petulant child.

Chanyeol chuckled lowly with amusement dancing in his eyes at the sight of the smaller’s adorable behavior. “Is it your headache again, Hyun-ah?”

A gasp echoed around the room as Baekhyun froze at the elder’s words. A quiet _oh my god_ escaped him and Chanyeol laughed as quietly as he could manage. “P-please talk more.”

Raising his eyebrows in mirth, with a wide grin playing on his lips, Chanyeol finally abandoned his novel somewhere on the coffee table, tossing it carelessly aside. Then, he carefully placed one hand on the omega’s neck and the other on his forehead and temples, applying just the lightest of pressures as he went. He started moving his fingers in gentle circles, rubbing the soft skin and releasing the tension as he went. Small whines and moans were all Baekhyun gave him in response, the man’s little _ohhs_ and _ahhs_ \- the only indication that he was on the right track.

“Hyun-ah, what do you know about my job?”

No answer, just a slight tightening of Baekhyun’s eyebrows. But that might have also been just Chanyeol hitting a sore spot.

“Okay,” the Alpha laughed. “No talking for you today, I see.”

Baekhyun was gradually relaxing under the other man’s ministrations; loosening up his tightly-wound limbs as his body uncoiled and drained of its tension. A comfortable haze settled over him and sleepiness began to take a hold of him the more Chanyeol’s hands worked their magic. A low hum was all he felt capable of giving in response, while a pleasant drowsiness began to weigh him down.

“I'm the branch CEO of my family’s law firm here in Korea, you see and… well, there is this girl there, Hyun-ah. She’s my assistant, Kim Seohyun. She-she knows about you, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol stops there, expecting a physical reaction from the smaller, but Baekhyun gives him nothing. The air is still around them, a sweet smell of contentedness playing around the two. Then, Baekhyun’s eyebrow twitches, just slightly, and Chanyeol decides to take it as his cue to keep talking. “She wants to come here, Baekhyun. To… to live with us, to live with you. She said she wants to help you and be your friend, Hyun.” And that was most definitely not what the woman had said, but little white lies often went a long way.

“Would you-would you be okay with that, Hyunnie? I don’t want to do this if you’re against it, but… Just know that she has our best interests at heart, okay? She can help us.” Baekhyun is still not answering him and the younger’s emotions have settled into a steady stream of unconscious satisfaction.

Chanyeol thinks for a second, if this is truly the best way he can find, practically tricking the omega into acceptance. But then, he realizes that yes, Seohyun is right and they need all the help they can get and also that there is no one else he would rather have beside him, helping him and guiding him, over her.

So it is selfish, that is true, using Baekhyun’s weakness in this way and he is almost certain the other would have protested against his suggestion and come up with a million reasons to reject the idea. Chanyeol however, doesn’t want that. He wants the girl here, stupid and careless as it may be. He has a peculiar fondness for her, maybe even some feelings and Chanyeol doesn’t want to give that up just yet.

He wants her. As a friend of course, and nothing else. And he is convinced that she and Baekhyun will get along perfectly, both of them being as sassy and smart and capable as they are.

So with a small smile, he kisses the omega’s forehead and caresses his cheek. Hoisting the sleeping male in his arms, the Alpha cradles him close to his body and begins moving to the master bedroom. He knows Baekhyun loves to sleep next to him.

Having tucked the shorter boy in, he takes one last glance at him before leaving the room and pulling out his cellphone, “Seohyun? Hello, yes. I just talked to Baekhyun. When can you move in?”

>>> 

If someone asked him now, Baekhyun will say that he vaguely and only just remembers a late night conversation with Chanyeol regarding a possible addition to their household.

_Well, an already instated addition now…_

He smiles, a bitter twist to the corners of his pretty lips as he rewinds the last several months in his head.

Seohyun’s arrival had come as an absolute shock to the omega, who certainly hadn’t been expecting it and Chanyeol’s fib about their conversation over the matter didn’t help ease his feelings one bit. It made him feel betrayed, tricked at the very least. Chanyeol’s uncomfortable shifting and downward gaze whenever he brought up the fact that he had never given his explicit consent just made things that much worse.

As had become the norm by now, sweet and darling Seohyun came to the Alpha’s rescue then, gently reminding Baekhyun that he was just a mere omega and that it was his Alpha’s job to make the decisions, _with both of their best interests at heart,_ _of course_. 

He felt sick at the time and that feeling had only become more pronounced the more time went by. He tried to give the woman a chance, he was not someone who judged people based on first impressions after all, but it was startlingly clear to Baekhyun after only several days that she was no more than a snake. The omega honestly felt like smacking Chanyeol for not realizing the same thing and molly-coddling the conniving girl. 

However, one by one, his “privileges” in his own house were being revoked, all thanks to her clever whispers into his Alpha’s ear and the male couldn’t risk it.

His relationship with the taller had regressed from blooming to practically non-existent. They fought almost daily, little spats here and there usually and mostly because Baekhyun refused to back down and submit, but they had had a huge fight quite a while back after Chanyeol had admitted that his precious assistant was actually his former crush.

The Alpha had been mad over something that had gone down at work and the omega had been pushing his buttons until Chanyeol was in the other’s face and screaming about how he wished that he had never met him and that he could’ve mated Seohyun instead. He had tried to backtrack, coming up with one implausible excuse after the other, but the deed had been done.

Chanyeol had organized another picnic for them, letting the younger run off his frustration, and had even taken him for a trip to the countryside, far away from prying eyes.

But the damage had been done and Baekhyun refused to settle down into being a stranger in his own home and Chanyeol had promised that he would give them a chance, _damn it all!_

The fight had come barely several weeks into the assistant’s tenure in their house and Chanyeol had promised him that day, sitting beside him on a grassy hilltop overlooking the entire city of Seoul that he would try to be his proper mate. He had sworn to become better and try his best at being Baekhyun’s partner and lover, if only the other gave him some time.

That had been three months ago.

And time had run out.

Tonight, on the last night of their agreement, Baekhyun is alone yet again and the grandfather clock in the living room is slowly ticking down the last minutes before midnight.

The omega is sitting at the top of the stairs with his knees tucked into his chin and his hands are cradling the flat expanse of his stomach. He smiles softly, running his thumb back and forth over the skin underneath his shirt. He hopes vehemently the little pup nestled securely inside can feel the comfort he is trying to give. He hopes Chanyeol will come home soon too.

He has been waiting for days to break the news to the future father and now he feels as though he is standing at the edge of a precipice, mere seconds before disaster. Tonight is his last chance. An impending sense of doom looms over his head and he feels that if he misses this chance, come morning, all hell will break loose and his hands will remain tied.

The only thing Baekhyun hopes for is that even if the older doesn’t want him anymore after today, he will feel more lenient towards their child.

The sound of keys jingling together come from downstairs as the door knob turns. The smile fades from Baekhyun’s face as he braces himself, arms wrapping around his non-existent bump tighter.

However, he is left stunned and his jaw falls open when loud laughter rings in his ears when the door swings open. Chanyeol is walking into the hallway, arms outstretched and carefree laughter spilling from his lips. It is a sight Baekhyun has never seen before. His husband’s ears are red and his lips are stretched into a wide, open-mouthed grin. His left eye is twitching slightly as he laughs with abandon. What is even more shocking to the smaller is that Chanyeol isn’t alone.

Petite, brown-haired Seohyun with her button nose and thin lips painted a pretty shade of red is clinging to his Alpha’s arm, giggling cutely. Her eyes are wrinkling and her pretty, long hair falling over her shoulders.

 _Of course it’s her, who else…_ A bitter chuckle rises in Baekhyun’s throat, even as his sight begins blurring.

He has seen the flirting. He has noticed the lingering touches.

Hell, Chanyeol himself had admitted that the woman had been his desired mate.

“When will you tell him?” Her voice is too sweet, like candy cane and caramel melted into liquid sugar.

“Tomorrow baby, I promise.” Chanyeol smiles at his assistant again, wide and affectionate. Finding no more need for words, he grabs her by the waist and pulls her to him, almost raising her off the ground. Chanyeol places a gentle hand on the back of her neck while the other travels up her arm and he kisses her deeply, groaning aloud in satisfaction.

 _They don’t know I’m here_ , he realizes.

Twilight is the time of day when Baekhyun retires out onto the porch, leaving the boss and the assistant to come home from work to a home-made meal he refuses to share with them. He always eats earlier, alone, and then leaves through the kitchen door and lies down on the deck, just as he had that first day.

And that’s where they are expecting him to be now too. The omega is notorious for forgetting time and locking himself inside his mind and the two lovers are banking on that being the case now as well.

Except Baekhyun had been hoping to talk to his Alpha today, tear him away from his damn assistant for a change, and tell him the truth.

_So much for that…_

 

The omega simply wants to run away. He wants to turn around and erase the last five minutes from his memory, but his legs won’t listen. They stay stubbornly rooted to the spot, his heart throbbing in his throat and his stomach swooping as bile burns his insides. His eyes fill with bitter tears that threaten to spill and the lump in his throat makes it impossible to swallow. His hands remain closed into fists by his side as the kiss goes on.

Chanyeol kisses her the way he had never kissed him. Their eyes are closed and their lips make wet, squelching sounds. Baekhyun sees the hints of tongue and saliva being exchanged and feels sick to his core. The girl mewls softly as Chanyeol’s hand drops from her arm to just below her breast, teasing her just slightly with his thumb. His hips press into hers and Baekhyun’s nose clogs with the overwhelming scent of pheromones and slick the two are giving off. He is going to throw up.

Baekhyun’s very being is crumbling as his jaw locks, memories flashing in his head. The tears stream down his face and splash onto his knees, the warmth seeping into him severely insufficient because the omega is utterly frozen.

“I love you.” Chanyeol’s voice is still mesmerizing to him, compelling and bringing him under his hold. It is still as sweet and gravelly like the finest dark chocolate as it always had been, but at this moment it feels like acid being thrown at him and melting him inside out.

_No! Please!_

His entire world is shattering like fragile glass and the last embers of his hope are fizzling out, but just this once he is going to be bold. Just this once, he is going to be strong. The baby in his belly is depending on him and apparently, Baekhyun is all the little cub would have in its life.

He stands up just as the sounds of roaming hands and fabric hitting the floor penetrates his ears and he walks to the bedroom on trembling legs. His very being is shaking as if stung by electricity and the moment he closes the door behind him, Baekhyun drops onto his knees, panting and wheezing. His arms hold his stomach tightly, in a useless attempt to stop himself from falling apart as salty, bitter tears stream down his pale face. Gasps tear from his shaking lips, his body moving forwards and backwards in a fast rocking motion. His heart is breaking, crashing, crumbling and he is free falling into an abyss without any way back; he doesn’t know how to get out and there is no one to save him anymore. It is so deep, too deep, too dark and why, _why was this happening, damn it!_

His hands fist his hair, messing its carefully styled appearance and wishing he could just rip it all out. Baekhyun wishes he can rip his soul and heart out. His nails drop to his neck and start clawing at the bite marks on the hollow of his collarbone. He didn’t care if he draws blood. He doesn’t care if it hurts. He doesn’t care if… He doesn’t care, period. His baby is safe in his womb and he feels his omega curling around the budding life, desperately trying to protect the growing pup, but then another wave overwhelms him and he is drowning again, lost beneath the surface and pressed down by the waves.

He feels like he is dying, he wants to die and Baekhyun is certain whatever hell might await him after death will surely be better than this. Twelve years. Twelve fucking years he has survived and held on to slightest shreds of hope.

Twelve years of ‘it will get better, one day it will all be better’ just to get thrown into an even deeper hellhole than the one he was in before. At least there, he knew his enemies. He knew who to befriend, who to avoid, how to behave and what to say in order to avoid punishment. This though… This was just plain cruel.

Baekhyun lies on his side, shaking and sobbing, his nose filled with the scent of slick and pre-cum that are spilling out of the guest room. His ears are filled with feminine, wanton gasps and the intimately familiar growls and moans of his husband. He is sure that if he just focuses, judging purely by the smell of his husband’s pheromones and the sounds he is making, he would be able to tell how fast he was going, what position they were in and how close his husband is to cumming. Not only is he fucked up, Baekhyun laughs bitterly as he realizes that he must be also be a masochist. What a surprise. He decides he’s not going to move, although he knows now is be the perfect time to just get out and leave.

But what for…?

Where would he even go? He has no family, no friends, no money… Chanyeol is his everything. His Master, his mate, his husband, his lover…

They will not survive out on the streets and Baekhyun could care less about himself, but the cub deserved more than a father who can’t take care of it. The pup that was barely a few weeks old deserves the world and Baekhyun, alone and broke, can’t give it anything but death.

A fresh wave of tears rolls down the omega’s cheeks, leaving the skin behind blotchy and red. He curls himself into as tiny of a shell as he can, scooting backwards into the wall and away from the door, protecting his back. He leans his face sideways, closing down access to his neck in desperation. It is an obviously defiant position to stay in for a wolf like him, but Baekhyun is too tired to think.

He is just so, so very tired.

_“What a pretty, little whore you are…”_

_His husband stops just a couple of steps behind him, still pumping the sickeningly sweet smell of his arousal throughout the room. He is breathing harshly and Baekhyun can only imagine the sight his husband makes right now, still in his rumpled suit, his hair tousled sexily and his plump lips all red and swollen from the harsh kiss._

_Swallowing, Chanyeol steps right behind him, pressing him entire body tightly to the smaller’s back. Baekhyun stifles a groan because damn it, this is his mate and he is still affected. Chanyeol’s arm snakes around his waist and pulls the omega back onto him, nearly impaling him on the hardness between his legs. The taller rolls his hips upwards before pushing down and in. His other hand settles on Baekhyun’s hipbone and squeezes tightly to the point of pain before moving over to slide over his member._

_“… Moaning for me even when you know this isn’t for you.” To emphasize his words, he snaps his hips forward again, sinking into Baekhyun’s heat through his clothes._

_“Is that how desperate you are for my cock, you little slut? Even knowing I’m hard for someone else, look at you, you are aching for me. You must be gushing so much right now, aren’t you?” With a last slide over his erection, Chanyeol steps back and withdraws from Baekhyun._

_“Too bad you’ll have to wait for your turn tonight, my little pet. How about we make a bet? I’ll make you cum tonight if you manage not to cry while listening to us making love, hm? How does that sound?” Cackling, Chanyeol turns on his heel and takes Seohyun’s hand, leading her immediately upstairs, not sparing Baekhyun a single look further._

_When the smaller blinks, crystal droplets stinging his eyes, he finds his surroundings have changed._

_A scream rips from his lips as the light streaming from outside blinds him at the same time as pain from his lower back sets every single one of his nerve endings on fire. A hand harshly closes around his mouth, cutting off his breathing, and he twists his head to find Chanyeol above him, steadily moving back and forth and in and out, buried deep inside of him. And as Chanyeol moves his hand away and grins, Baekhyun gags as his nose is assaulted by a female scent lingering over every inch on his husband’s body. Chanyeol didn’t even take a bath after being done with her._

_Gritting his teeth and locking his jaw, his eyesight blurs anew, more fresh tears spilling out of the corners of his eyes. No more. Please Chanyeol, no more… All the pain his Alpha could ever inflict upon him is nothing compared to this. To the gaping, bleeding hole inside his chest and the shards of glass that are randomly being stabbed deep inside of the spot where his heart is supposed to be._

_Once again, he blinks harshly and begs whatever power-may-be to let the pain lull him to sleep._

_And he does…_

The following morning, Chanyeol barges in the master bedroom just as Baekhyun is getting dressed. Stuck as the smaller is with one hand in his shirt and tremors numbing his movements, he is too slow to react.

Baekhyun feels his stomach twist at the very sight of the other, his nightmare vivid and branded across the backs of his eyelids. He sniffs the air and is at least given comfort by Chanyeol’s clean scent, unlike the smell he had been surrounded by in his dream.

Baekhyun is loath to admit that the likeness of his Alpha is fast becoming the monster that haunts him in darkest corners of his mind. The dark place where fears lurk and disfigured creatures roam without aim, the locked cavern in his mind where Baekhyun dares not step is now turning into a giant-sized replica of Chanyeol’s image, the taller looming above him in glee, enormous and utterly frightening.

Baekhyun knows the man in his dream is not truly Chanyeol. He knows that the taller is not that evil, that he would never say those words to the omega; that instead, it is Baekhyun himself that has created an amalgamation of his darkest complexes and scars and poured them into his husband’s voice and turned him into his monster.

But after all of his years at the Academy, after all of the slurs and shameful taunts, the voices in his head are stitching and piecing together, melding into a cacophony of voices, until only one rings out the above the other’s. His Alpha’s voice; Chanyeol’s deep and gentle voice is suddenly the loudest of them all and Baekhyun is terrified to admit to himself just how much it hurts him to be shamed and mocked by his own husband.

Because this admittance can only cement in his heart, in his very being, what he has known for a while now.

That he loves Chanyeol.

That he had fallen deeply and painfully in love with his husband, with his mate. Because he knows his realization comes far too late. Because Baekhyun knows that his Alpha does not love him, and if last night has not proven that to him already, Chanyeol’s appearance this morning serves as the final nail in the coffin.

“Baekhyun, can we talk please?” Chanyeol is wriggling his hands and his lips are dry and chapped. Baekhyun wonders suddenly if the Alpha had gotten even a wink of sleep throughout the night or if he had spent it planning exactly what to say as soon as he got his chance – after he was done having sex with his assistant, of course.

Breathing deeply, the omega turns away and finishes getting dressed as slowly as he can, carefully working through his barriers and hiding his scent from the other.

Although Chanyeol seems distracted, Baekhyun thinks he can pour his entire emotions and choke the air around them and the taller still wouldn’t react. The Alpha’s words taste like absinthe and ashes on the omega’s tongue, even though he has been expecting them. Of course he has.

After the torture he had been forced to suffer through last night, the way things would proceed come morning has been only too obvious to guess.

The fact that he’s been desperately wishing for a different outcome all this time matters little now.

The fact that Baekhyun has been begging and wishing on all of his lucky stars for a twist in his story and a chance at a happily ever after is of next to no importance. Last night had proven to be the final straw that had finally shown the omega his place in this household.

He knows he can’t afford to leave. Baekhyun sneaks a hand to his stomach and growls low in his chest. He can’t risk running away. So instead, he gives in to the older’s demands and starts walking down the stairs, ignoring the shivers that snake down his spine.

Chanyeol quickly takes him over to the barstool in the kitchen and gently asks him to sit down.

Neutral territory, Baekhyun thinks. Forget the fact that the two had made so many beautiful memories here. Chanyeol has already proven himself incapable of seeing eye to eye with the smaller.

“Chan…”

Still, Baekhyun has to try. He has to, if only for one last time.

“Hyun-ah, please,” the Alpha clasps the other’s hands in his and bows his head, cutting off Baekhyun’s words. “Let’s stop this charade. Let’s end this. Our agreement ends today and I… Let’s not hurt each other anymore, Hyun.”

Chanyeol is about to admit the truth. His teeth clamp down on his tongue before he slips up and says something that would break his little omega. He doesn’t know that Baekhyun is not stupid. The Alpha misjudges the one sitting in front of him and lets arrogant pride convince him that the other knows nothing about his late night escapades. Foolishly reassured, he keeps the words resting on his lips and refuses to give them voice.

“Chan, I…”

Chocolate irises lock onto Baekhyun’s as Chanyeol raises his head and the omega thinks he is about to vomit. Chanyeol is still trying to be kind, of all things. His almond-shaped depths are swimming with sympathy for him and Baekhyun feels sick.

There is no love in those sweet, chocolate-colored eyes Baekhyun had fallen so desperately in love with.

The smaller can’t tell heaven from hell anymore; sky from ground and right from wrong.

It’s like everything has been shaken and moved upside down and he is the only one still standing upright in a world that suddenly and obviously no longer makes any sense. Accusations sit on Baekhyun’s tongue, sharp and venomous words that he wishes to hurl at Chanyeol with all the force of a raging typhoon that would destroy the taller’s life and turn it on its axis, just like the Alpha has done to him.

He wants to be petty and selfish and indulge in the pain lancing across his chest, twisting his insides and pumping ice instead of blood in his heart.

But he knows he can’t. He’s not allowed to. He doesn’t have that right, nor that power. He has more than just himself to protect now.

“Very well, Chanyeol. I’ll leave the legal matters up to you and start moving my things to the guest room.” Baekhyun is proud of himself for keeping his voice steady and flat.

He wants to run. But instead, he only slides out of the chair and calmly starts walking away.

His heart hurts. His soul feels like it’s shattering all over again.

It is time to let go. He has done his best and his best just wasn’t good enough.

_I couldn’t even tell him… How can I ever tell him now…?_

Even a blind fool can see that Seohyun was the one that Chanyeol loved. Baekhyun had been lying to himself all this time and basking in the fake glow of Chanyeol’s affection he had tricked himself into believing was blooming love… Chanyeol doesn’t care about anyone, but Seohyun. And he especially does not care about pathetic, little Baekhyun.

There is no place for the omega in his life.

_No place for us._

Baekhyun’s arms rise on their own accord, cradling his flat tummy. He hopes the warmth is enough to protect the little being inside from the pain that is tearing its father down. He fervently hopes he is good enough to at least provide the tiny creature with some comfort, even as he himself is falling apart.

“Baekhyun, wait!” Heavy footsteps thunder against the floorboards and the other curses the giant for the first time since he had met him.

 _Can’t he at least leave me alone to grieve in peace_?

“Yes Alpha?”

“Baek… Don’t be like that please. I- I don’t want us to end like this,” Baekhyun refuses to look at him, choosing to stand with his back firmly turned to Chanyeol.

“We can be… friends at least right?”

The omega chooses to stay silent, focusing on minimizing the shaking of his shoulders and the gasps that pain his chest as he struggles to breathe. The walls are closing in on him and he counts the seconds as they trickle by, too slow and far too fast.

He keeps on breathing and has counted up to seven when firm arms wrap around him from behind, closing over his own and enveloping Baekhyun in their precious warmth. Soft lips drop to the smaller’s neck and press the sweetest, open-mouthed kiss that sends electricity down Baekhyun’s whole body.

He senses the exact moment Chanyeol’s tongue makes an accidental pass across his skin and then retreats and clicks against the roof of the other's mouth. Baekhyun knows that his secret is out now and that Chanyeol will easily be able to tell the presence of a new life inside of his belly and the obvious change in the way he tastes. The smaller can practically feel the cogs in the Alpha’s head turn, stutter and fall in disarray as the changes in Baekhyun’s hormones register with his wolf.

Throughout the centuries, the ability to discern illnesses and various internal injuries, as well as determine pregnancy with just their saliva had been a blessing to many mated couples. This time, the young omega thought it was more of a curse.

“Baek…” The arms around him fall away.

The giant stumbles away from the shorter heavily, tripping several times before he manages to catch himself.

“You’re not…” Baekhyun turns to look at him, face cold and closed, struggling not to let even a single emotion peek through. Chanyeol’s eyes are ridiculously wide, shock evident in the chocolate-colored orbs. They trail down the other’s body, desperately seeking for something and locking onto his stomach.

“I’m not what, Alpha?” He glares at the giant then, challenging him to speak. Chanyeol doesn’t.

“I will go and move my things, Alpha. I will also clean the room, so I will have to trouble you with telling Seohyun she will be free to move in by the afternoon. I will move into her room as soon as she frees it.”

And Baekhyun walks away.

Let Chanyeol make of his statement what he will. He is done.

True to his word, the young omega vacates the bedroom he had been sharing with Chanyeol by noon.

The Alpha, however, doesn’t tell Seohyun what had happened.

Instead the moment the young girl comes homes, he sits her down and coldly tells her that it is time for her to move out. He softens the blow by claiming that he simply doesn’t want to tarnish her reputation by making her his mistress before he resolves his marriage to Baekhyun. He forces Seohyun to sneak away from the house like a thief in the middle of the night, determinedly keeping her away from the bedrooms and packing her things for her, so there wouldn't be even a slightest chance of Baekhyun running into her.

His assistant is pissed, tears in her eyes and a tremble in her chin, but she accepts her fate with a straight face. They both know the Alpha’s words are a ridiculous lie and just a sad excuse. Chanyeol himself is frighteningly aware that he would be hard-pressed to say what had led to his change of heart. All the Alpha knows however, is that he suddenly feels like the worst scum on earth and even if his brain can’t reconcile the warring feelings inside his chest, he can’t let himself indulge and play a happy family with the pretty wolf.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t see Baekhyun for the rest of that day or any of the days that follow.

Rising each morning, Chanyeol goes in front of the door of the guest room and listens intently, scent carefully masked to avoid being detected. Sometimes he thinks he can sense the faintest tang of sadness radiating from behind the wooden barrier, but mostly he just encounters deadly silence and that is enough to fool himself out of his concern for the other.

He is not that big of a hypocrite to lie and say that he isn’t worried.

Chanyeol’s life with Baekhyun had been one strange adventure after the other and the taller had gotten used to the omega’s antics, learning to appreciate them and over time, even look forward to them. The house somehow feels incredibly empty now. Starting his day without listening to the smaller’s off-tune humming as he prepares them both breakfast or not to see him wriggling his cute butt to whatever song he finds on the TV as he tries to clean the house, but only managing to make an even bigger mess than before, leaves him feeling discontent and confused.

But the knowledge that, even though he has been waking up alone, there has been a squeaky clean plate and a washed mug left to dry beside the sink each day, reassures him that the omega is fine.

Baekhyun is not one to keep quiet, after all. _If he is feeling bad_ , Chanyeol reasons, _he would have come to me already and thrown a tantrum._

The moments when thoughts like these overwhelm him are the times when Chanyeol shakes himself off and placates himself by turning to seek comfort in Seohyun. The girl is getting quite annoyed at him; the taller had never been quite as clingy as he is now, but she makes her peace with it. It is worth it to deal with a clingy Alpha, than not have him at all and she still has not managed to worm her way into the household.

The tiny fact about the younger being pregnant nearly manages to slip the Alpha’s mind.

It only seems to work for a short while at a time though, until Chanyeol’s wolf rears his sharp canines and growls at him, angrily dragging one pointy claw after another down his insides. He feels the wolf’s anger; he feels his disappointment and the pain of deep betrayal, as the animal barks and yowls at him, throwing the worst sensations he can muster at him and loudly declaring his distaste for the other. His wolf hurts him on purpose and takes initiative for the first time since he can remember, even going as far as to vanish for hours at a time, carefully hiding the traces of his whereabouts from Chanyeol.

The same cycle repeats for several weeks and the Alpha feels like he is about to lose his mind.

He has not seen Baekhyun since that damned day and he is cursing himself for not doing something, anything, to prevent the smaller from leaving.

Until one day, Baekhyun himself breaks the silence and emerges from his room.

Chanyeol, who has been making breakfast, drops the plate he had been shoveling eggs onto at the sight of the other standing in front of him. Baekhyun looks… empty.

It is the only word Chanyeol seems to be able to find since his mind crawls to a complete stop, all of his senses pointed and focused at the short man standing in his kitchen for the first time in what suddenly feels like an eternity.

“Good morning, Alpha.”

Baekhyun bows and quickly steps over to him, grabbing a filthy rag Chanyeol had been meaning to throw in the wash and starting to scoop the remnants of breakfast from the floor.

Chanyeol is still standing, frozen in his spot, but Baekhyun pays him no mind, moving fluidly around him to the trash, before walking over to the sink to wash his hands. He ignores his Alpha, even as his chest pulls and his wolf whines pitifully at the other man’s presence, and takes his place at the stove to cook a new batch of eggs for the taller.

His stomach rolls at the scent and bile rises up his throat, but Baekhyun forces it down with a simple pat to his stomach, never breaking his motions with the spatula.

The sound of sizzling oil breaks Chanyeol from his daze. His hands flail helplessly at his sides and his ears are flushing red while his mouth grasps at empty syllables he can’t give voice to, eyes constantly wandering over to the omega that is silently carrying out his task.

The Alpha’s eyes widen when Baekhyun turns off the flames and leaves the spatula on the counter, before taking off his apron and turning to him for the first time in minutes. He spares Chanyeol no more than a glance and the taller thinks he catches a small pout forming on Baekhyun pale lips, but the smaller is already moving to the fridge to take out ingredients for a fresh salad and he can’t tell whether he had simply imagined it or not. Baekhyun’s hands shake imperceptibly as he works and his knees wobble from a dizzy spell, but he fights through it with a straight face.

Chanyeol is incapable of doing anything other than watching, as Baekhyun sets one plate on the table and brings out side dishes Chanyeol isn’t even certain he has in his kitchen.

“Y-you’re… You’re not eating with me?” The Alpha’s eyes narrow at the other man. Baekhyun stops again and turns to give him a small grin. Instead of feeling appeased however, Chanyeol’s gut churns. The smile is a pitiful and fake copy of the younger’s sunshine-infused grin.

“No Alpha, I thank you for your consideration. I ate already.” Chocolate irises flick to the dryer next to the sink and notice the obvious absence of washed dishes. Chanyeol knows Baekhyun is lying, but his phone chose that moment to interrupt the tense moment. A text from Seohyun informs him that he is going to be late for work if he doesn’t hurry up and his train of thought vanishes into thin air.

Baekhyun remains a careful vigilant all throughout breakfast, standing carefully in the corner of the kitchen with his hands clasped behind him, watching over the Alpha and catering to his every need before Chanyeol is aware he even has one. When the taller is ready to leave, Baekhyun follows him to the door and hands him his briefcase, before helping him to put on his coat and sending him off with another one of his fake smiles.

That evening after work, Chanyeol finds the house cleaner than it has ever been before, no space left untouched, and dinner cooling on the table. The smaller is nowhere to be seen, but a slight saltiness lingers in the air and Chanyeol follows it to their room where he finds the smaller’s belongings back to their rightful place as they used to be. Baekhyun himself is nowhere to be found and the Alpha’s gut is swirling with worry. Coming back down and seeing the table only set for one again causes an unfamiliar clenching in his chest, almost as if his heart was cracking in half, and he doesn’t like it.

Once again, as had become the custom for him, Chanyeol reassures himself and take comfort in the small things, such as Baekhyun moving back inside their room and thinks of the matter no further.

Somewhere in his mind, Chanyeol knows exactly how bad he had fucked up; he knows exactly how bad he had hurt his little mate and it is a sobering and distinctly bitter thought, so he simply swats it away from his conscious thoughts. Chanyeol wouldn’t be Chanyeol if he didn’t have the ability to brush off any disconcerting emotion for the sake of comfort, after all.

And so, he allows the cycle to continue, day in and day out.

During the days, Baekhyun continues being the perfect, well-behaved mate; the most obedient and subservient partner one can wish for, never overstepping his bounds and limitations. The house is perpetually spotless and a delicious meal is always set on the table at exactly the right times, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. He never speaks unless he is required to, but is always hovering; just on the periphery of Chanyeol’s vision, always just a step away from catering to the Alpha’s every whim. The grocery list is always suspiciously empty of any unhealthy items and there are never any snacks written down. The list is missing even the smaller’s favorite chocolate Peppero sticks, which he used to claim he couldn’t live without once he’d tasted them, even though Chanyeol teased him that he was going to get fat if he kept on eating them so much. Despite this being a red flag for a part of him, the dominant and rational side of the Alpha reminds him of the not-so-small matter of the other’s pregnancy and that Baekhyun is probably just trying to eat healthier.

At night, Chanyeol feels warmth pressing against his limbs in his sleep and happiness colors his dreams as he tells himself that the younger is in his arms again, where he belongs. His arms curl around empty air, but he fools himself into thinking that the small bump of his pillow is the other’s waist and so he presses his body more firmly against it, blissful delusion guiding his movements. Before, Baekhyun had always woken up at some ungodly time of the night or another, just to move around and drink some water he had always claimed, and Chanyeol had picked up on that habit without even trying to. These days, Chanyeol wakes up alone and is always comforted by the sight of his mate sleeping soundly beside him, looking a bit mussed up and slightly worse for the wear, but always emitting a peaceful and delightful scent that calms the Alpha’s restless thoughts and lull him back to sleep.

He does notice however, albeit a bit belatedly, that Baekhyun is looking far paler than he ought to and that the healthy weight he had gained during the first few months is slowly dropping again, vanishing and melting back into skinny thighs and protruding collarbones. He makes a mental reminder to tell Seohyun to find a good doctor to look over the smaller, because he knows absolutely nothing about male pregnancies and the amount of doctors who would even be willing to take on such a case is dismally small.

The Alpha still refuses to entertain the fact that it’s his child that Baekhyun is carrying, that he had been the one to do this and that he is only months away from becoming a father. It is almost like an abstract idea for him, something that’s impossible to digest and that’s not real, but on the other hand he is unwilling to risk Baekhyun’s health, so a visit to the doctor it is. 

Seohyun is less than thrilled to learn of the news and Chanyeol is annoyed that she is refusing to cooperate with him, still bitter over the fact that he kicked her out. She coddles him, slim fingers massaging over broad shoulders, and convinces him that Baekhyun is just fine as he is. The Alpha hates this for some reason, his emotions rebelling against the touch and goosebumps breaking out over his skin. He flinches away from her, without any conscious decision, but he doesn’t question it. He simply gets up and leaves his office, telling her to cancel all of his meetings.

The windows in the foyer of his office building show falling leaves and people bundled in jackets that are getting progressively heavier and thicker. Chanyeol thinks about Baekhyun, his thin sweaters and even thinner body, and his feet carry him away and into the first shop he finds on the avenue. Several hours later, it is already nightfall and his hands are laden with bags and bags of fall and winter clothing, all bought with the petite omega in mind.

Stumbling through the doorway of their house, Chanyeol winces because of the noise and expect Baekhyun to come to him like he always does whenever the Alpha returns home. Instead, this time, he is only greeted by silence.

Confused and just slightly apprehensive, the tall man drops the bags by the sofa in the living room and sets out to search for his small partner.

Baekhyun is not out on the porch, nor is he in the kitchen. The storage room is bare of the omega’s presence too. He isn’t in the guest bedroom and the two bathrooms on the second floor are empty as well. In the end, Chanyeol smiles and rolls his eyes at his stupidity, convinced that the smaller was just tired and had gone to sleep earlier than usual.

What he finds when he walks into their bedroom however, makes him stop in his tracks. He can swear he hears the sound of his heart falling on the ground and shattering because there Baekhyun is, curled up and fast asleep, but not on the bed like the Alpha had been expecting. Oh no. Instead the smaller had taken up a spot into the corner of the room, sleeping on the bare and cold floor, his arms serving as a pillow for his head. His knees are tucked into his chest and he has made himself appear as small as possible, bending his body in a fetal position. He seems to be shivering slightly and a muscle in Chanyeol’s jaw pops while he takes in the scene, but can’t seem to fully comprehend what he is seeing.

He crosses the room in two long strides, shutting off any thought and suspending his disbelief for a moment, body fully operating on autopilot in order to ensure Baekhyun’s well-being and comfort. He gently tucks the pregnant man into bed, a too-loud gasp tearing from him and eyes almost watering when he realizes just how light the smaller had become in such a short amount of time.

He wonders then, for the first time, if Baekhyun had been eating anything at all.

The shorter had adamantly refused to eat with his Alpha, always claiming fullness and that he had already eaten. The possibility that the other had been lying this whole time hits Chanyeol like a freight truck. Even in the darkness, his superior night vision afforded him the perfect view of Baekhyun’s sallow and sunken face. The skin colored an almost sickly and definitely not healthy yellow.

His knees buckle and refuse him further support and he crumbles to the floor beside the bed, the full impact of his neglect hitting him all at once. His wolf is absent, but he still feels the scratches the poor animal had left on him. His mental landscape almost bleeding red, trying to bring him out of his denial and refusal to see the truth. His eyes sting and for the first time since he can remember, for the first time since one lonely day spent on the beach during his childhood, Park Chanyeol lets himself cry.

He cries for what he has done, he cries to release the regret and remorse swarming his body like a tidal wave. He cries because of the realization that he has turned into someone he had vowed never to become and he cries because Baekhyun was the sole victim of his idiocy and utter refusal to face reality. He can’t breathe and his lungs feel like they’re incapable of drawing air, a weight settling on his chest like marble stones that he can’t find the will to move. He stares at Baekhyun through a blurry veil and curses himself for hurting this man, this beautiful and gorgeous man who had hoped for a better life, but instead got a liar and a cheater as his lifelong companion.

The night is young and there is a long way to go until dawn, but Chanyeol’s tears last longer, draining every inch of energy from his body and replacing it with a pain unlike he has ever felt before. It is a deep, searing burn that tears through each of his senses and dulls them, while paradoxically painting his own failures in vivid and glowing light, throwing memory after memory of all the instances where he had hurt Baekhyun, where he had made his little omega hurt and it’s almost as if he can feel it. It’s almost as if he can feel the other’s disappointment and anguish over his own idiotic actions.

For the first time in weeks, Baekhyun is the one who sleeps soundly; firmly tucked away in a soft bed with silky soft sheets and high-thread covers and wrapped in dreams of happiness and delight.

For the first time in weeks, his Alpha is the one who stays awake; holding vigil over the smaller and fending off all of his demons, even as he finally realizes that he is nothing more than one of them.

>>> 

Baekhyun is awake before daylight, as he always is these days, quickly bringing himself to full consciousness in his continuous efforts to avoid Chanyeol as much as he can.

It isn’t long before he realizes that something is wrong, however.

For one, he is lying in the king-sized bed he had relinquished almost fully to the Alpha, except for those nighttime excursions of the other when he would quickly slip beneath the sheets and pretend to be fast asleep. Also, the sound of heavy breathing that is not his own unsettles the still air in the room. Tracking the source of the noise, Baekhyun looks down beside himself and is shocked to find Chanyeol lost in the throes of restless sleep.

Small moans escape his lips and his eyes seem to be shut tightly, as if he is in pain. Baekhyun almost reaches out to run his fingers through his hair in an attempt to settle him down and bring him calm, but he stops himself at the last moment. His eyes harden and his jaw trembles as he locks it, refusing to let himself soften around the older. He knows Chanyeol doesn’t want that from him.

He slips out of bed quickly, intent on getting everything ready before the other man wakes up, but before he can take even a single step, a large hand shoots out and wraps around his slender wrist. “Where do you think you’re going, Hyun-ah?”

So he wasn’t asleep after all… _damnit Baekhyun, how are you so stupid?_

“I am just going to grab a glass of water, Alpha. I will be right back. Is there anything that you need?” He doesn’t ask why Chanyeol is sleeping on the floor. He doesn’t care. The man's choices are not of Baekhyun's concern. He is just here to serve him, not question what he does. He tries to shake away the taller’s hold, but the Alpha has him in a vice-like grip making it impossible for him to move.

“No need, Hyun-ah, I will bring it to you. And since you’re already up I will make you some breakfast as well. Go back to bed and don’t move, do you understand?” Chanyeol finally lets him go and springs to his feet, wobbling unsteadily for a second before regaining his balance. The smaller is still safe-guarding his emotions, but the taller is determined and stubborn and he knows that in his current state, Baekhyun can’t refuse a direct order.

“Baekhyun, did you understand me? Do you want anything else maybe?” He asks again, just to be sure.

The omega locks his jaw and almost lifts up his chin in a show of defiance, but then reality sets in and his shoulders drop in defeat, “no, thank you, Alpha, I require nothing else. I understand, I will stay here, ” he moves and sinks down onto the bed, a poorly-veiled gloominess hanging like a cloud over his head.

He feels exhausted, although that is more than expected, and there are metaphorical sacks of sand tied to his limbs and weighing him down. His eyes feel like someone had poured sand into them and an experimental swallow makes him almost scream at the fire that licks down his throat for his attempt. Gritting his teeth with such force that he can almost hear them gnash against each other, Baekhyun stumbles towards the bathroom to wash his face and try and erase the traces of sickness from his face.

He can’t know. Chanyeol cannot know that he is feeling under the weather. He has already brought enough problems to the man; he refuses to be any more of a burden. Walking is a Herculean feat all on its own, but he manages somehow, fighting against the fuzziness that settles in his head and stuffs his brain with what feels like cotton candy.

The strong smell of bacon and eggs starts to spread throughout the house and Baekhyun sighs in defeat when his stomach rolls around in protest. The pup resting in his womb despises eggs with a burning passion, but he can’t let the other man know. He can’t afford the other’s efforts go to waste.

So he sits back down on the bed, the coolness of the tap water feeling blissfully refreshing against his skin, and dutifully waits for the other to return. Keeping his symptoms at bay is gradually eating away what little energy he had gotten from his sleep, but he reassures himself that it will pass soon enough. He breathes in and out, swallowing as little as possible and trying to prepare himself for the day ahead of him. He makes a mental list of all of his chores for the day and before he knows it, his body grows heavier and falls back against the messy covers and back into the arms of Morpheus.

The moment Chanyeol walks into the room carrying a tray of food he finds sadly mediocre, a pang of guilt makes his gut tighten and a tremble in his hands almost makes him drop the entire thing. He would’ve smacked himself had he been able to, but he settles for setting the food aside on the dresser and tucking Baekhyun back under the covers. He then walks over to the window and closes the curtains, so the eventual sunrise wouldn’t bother the tired omega and re-checks the room for any possible items that could rouse the smaller from sleep. Finding none, he picks the tray back up and walks out of the room and closes the door as he leaves.

He is elbows deep in research when the first rays of sunlight begin peeking through the living room window. He had been at it for hours and his shoulders are stiffer than concrete, but unfortunately he hasn't been able to find any valuable info on male omega’s pregnancies. All he has to go on are obscure posts online made by clearly-uneducated idiots if the way they write is any indication and the thousands and thousands of blogs and videos related to the same topic of pregnancy, except in females. He is hungry and tired and utterly frustrated by his lack of progress, but a glance at his watch tells him that it’s almost time to head out to work.

Picking up the phone, Chanyeol decides to do the first selfish thing he had done in years when it came to his work and request a paid leave, readily available to him thanks to all of the days upon days of vacation he had never used. He had accumulated about a month and a half off in total and Seohyun almost growls at him in annoyance when he breaks the news to her, but everything she says goes into one ear and out through the other immediately.

The Alpha is determined to at least try and fix things and _no_ , he doesn’t have any idea on how to do it yet, but he does know that he will never forgive himself if he doesn’t try.

So having freed himself from his work obligations, Chanyeol busies himself with the chores that Baekhyun does every day. The shopping list is sitting on the kitchen island, but he doesn’t want to leave the smaller man alone, so he leaves that for after the other wakes up.

Worry begins to brew in Chanyeol’s stomach when the clock strikes 1pm and Baekhyun still isn’t showing any signs of waking up.

Climbing the stairs one by one, he carefully cracks the door open and peeks through, only to rush inside the moment his eyes land on the bed. Baekhyun had thrown away the covers and tried to remove his sweatshirt, but gave up halfway through and even in the complete darkness, the sweat covering his entire face and dripping down his neck is more than obvious.

Almost running to the omega, Chanyeol nearly trips on his way to the bed. He just barely managed to grab hold of the corner to steady himself and immediately reaches for Baekhyun’s forehead. The smaller is burning and panic unlike anything he has ever known before erupts in Chanyeol’s chest like quick-fire. He quickly tugs of the completely soaked shirt the other is wearing and starts for the bathroom before belatedly remembering to at least cover the half-naked male with the covers before getting up.

Rummaging through his cupboards, Chanyeol growls at his own idiocy when he realizes that he has nothing that could possibly help the petite omega now except for some stronger pain-killers and according to the internet, those were a big no-no. For pregnant females at least, but the Alpha figures the mechanics are the same.

The more he searches, the more agitated he becomes, especially when low moans of pain begin echoing from the bedroom and Chanyeol swears several times because nothing, absolutely nothing he has in here can help his mate and bring down his fever.

He quickly settles on filling the jar he keeps on the nightstand with fresh water and grabs a clean towel before returning to the other’s bedside. Baekhyun’s forehead seems to be burning and Chanyeol wipes him clean, removing every inch of sweat from his upper body before gently moving him to his side of the bed where the sheets are dry and cool. He fishes out an oversized sweatshirt from the closet and carefully dresses him, before tucking him back under. He goes and changes the dirty water and takes another towel, throwing the used one somewhere irrelevant, and returns back to Baekhyun’s side. He managed to fish out a forgotten packet of vitamin C that is still good to take from the bathroom cabinet and he figures that vitamins can’t do any harm, but perhaps they will do some good.

His mind is in a complete daze and his arms continue pressing the cool towel against Baekhyun’s skin on autopilot while he tries to think of at least one person whom he can call for help.

Seohyun is definitely out of the question, not after how he had treated her, and he isn’t close enough with any of his other co-workers to reveal his secret to them. Some of his friends maybe, but as the woman herself had already pointed out, most of them were raised the same way he was and with the same never-ending lectures on male omega’s inferiority, so that left them out too.

His family is not even up for debate, except maybe Junmyeon, but he knows his brother is currently away in China on a business trip and he can only imagine how that conversation would go. With a deep sigh, the cogs in Chanyeol’s mind keep whirring, but each time he keeps returning to the same person and after exhausting every single possible option, he realizes that there is no other person who would be more willing to help than his kind-hearted and sweet, older brother.

He picks Junmyeon’s name from his contact list and his heartbeat quickens, than slows down to match each dial tone. Chanyeol’s eyes remain wholly focused on Baekhyun as he waits for his brother to pick up and it feels like an eternity passes before he finally hears the older’s teasing voice, who as usual, greets him with a joke.

Chanyeol however, is far from being in the mood for jokes, and he explains the entire situation quickly and with as few words as possible, starting from the day the Elders had approached him and finishing with the current state of his mate, before begging for his older brother’s help.

The silence on the other side of the call seems deafening and the longer Junmyeon stays quiet, the more pronounced the dread eating away at Chanyeol’s insides is. To make matters worse, Baekhyun agonized whines are only growing more pronounced and are so loud at this point that even his brother can hear them. Upon the sound of the smaller’s anguish, Kim Junmyeon finally springs into action directing his brother to keep a mildly-cold compress on the other’s forehead, neck and the inside of his elbows and not to leave his side at any cost. He informs Chanyeol he will see him as soon as he can and that he will be getting on the first available flight and bringing Yixing with him, although who Yixing is, the Alpha has no idea, but if he can help then he is more than welcome.

Junmyeon hangs up on him then to go and make all the arrangements and Chanyeol is left alone with a hurting Baekhyun and a guilty conscience that is gnawing away at him like acid.

None of this would be happening if he’d paid just a bit more attention to the smaller. 

Everything would be okay if only he hadn’t been such an absolute bastard and lied to him.

The same thoughts from the previous night rush back in his head like they’d just been waiting for an opportune time to torment him and remind him of all his failings, except now it’s all so much worse because Baekhyun is hurting and…

_Goddammit, he is pregnant! What if this hurts the baby?_

This was probably the most hypocritical moment of Chanyeol’s life so far, because remembering the other’s pregnancy feels like being struck with a hundred lashes at once and the soul-crushing guilt tastes like charcoal.

All of the blogs and information he found on the internet spoke about never making the prospective, mother-to-be angry or frustrated or sad and not to allow any extreme trauma or depression befall her. Everyone claimed that even a cold-turned-for-the-worse can lead to serious complications, not to mention how it would react in combination with other, usually harmless factors which had a potentially lethal outcome when put together.

And Chanyeol felt like the worst scum to ever walk the Earth, because he had done all of the above, caused the smaller to go through hell and back because of him and left him to deal with all of it completely alone while he was enjoying his time with his pretty assistant turned lover. Baekhyun was malnourished or at least going heavily down that path if the possibility of counting all of his ribs just by looking at him was anything to go by.

So for the second time in  many days, Chanyeol keeps a wakeful watch over the smaller, nearly nodding off several times, but each time quickly being brought back by a gasp or sharp inhale from Baekhyun.

At one point during the night, seeing that Baekhyun’s temperature refuses to drop, Chanyeol picks him up and promptly sits them both down in the shower. He sets the water to as cool as they can handle without getting sick even more and stays there until he feels the omega slowly settling back into a somewhat more relaxed sleep. He dries them both off as well as he can manage, handing Baekhyun with as much care and tenderness as if he is a porcelain doll, before setting him back onto the bed and redressing him in warmer, clean clothes.

The man seems to calm down slightly after that, but still twists his body abruptly from time to time when the pain would become too much and seeks out the cool compress each time he manages to push it off with his tossing and turning.

It isn’t until the following morning when the doorbell echoes loudly throughout the silent house that Chanyeol flies down the stairs like he is being chased and opens the door with heaving breaths and grateful eyes.

His brother is standing there, an unfamiliarly calculating look in his eyes as he assess the younger man he had practically helped raise since he was a boy and Chanyeol was brought into the family. Behind him is a Chinese man, Yixing, the Alpha assumes, but the only thing he managed to deduce about him is that he is tall before a sharp sting erupts in his cheek and Junmyeon curses softly, clutching his right hand.

“What the hell have you done, Chanyeol?” Junmyeon has zero remorse in his voice and glares at his taller sibling with deep annoyance in his eyes as he simply pushes him away and calls Yixing into the house, taking the initiative as he is often prone to do.  

He assumes where he will find his idiot brother’s mate and strides into the master’s bedroom, even as Chanyeol is running after the two, exclaiming a loud _hey!_ at the smack he had gotten. Junmyeon however, takes one look at the man, practically a boy, tangled in the sheets and curses again, turning to Chanyeol and boring holes into him. “I thought the situation was bad, but this is worse than I thought. How the fuck could you have let this happen, Chanyeol?”

The Alpha knows his brother very well, or at least he feels like he does. Junmyeon doesn't curse or get angry. He resolves things in a calm and quiet manner, always striving to maintain peace. Now however, the taller man feels barely ten inches tall, pinned down under the others’ harsh glare.

Junmyeon and Yixing jump into action, an odd harmony in their movements that Chanyeol doesn’t have the presence of mind to think about at the moment. Instead, he only watches as the Chinese man pulls out item after item from his backpack and begins moving around the omega, checking him over and muttering to Junmyeon in slightly accented Korean.

After several minutes of his mutters and concerned sighs, he finally puts away the last instrument and turns away from Baekhyun. He glances at Junmyeon, who is looking on at the scene with a tense posture and quiet fear in his soft gaze. Then, Yixing turns to him and there is a panicked sorrow written on his face. Chanyeol’s chest gives a rough squeeze because whatever is coming, he knows it won’t be good.

“Chanyeol, you waited too long to call us! Unless you somehow manage to find a hospital that will accept to treat your mate immediately… There is no possible way I can save Baekhyun and your baby on my own. Not in these conditions… We are losing them both and we don't have any more time!” The tall man drops his gaze back to Baekhyun and the sadness becomes even more pronounced as he takes in the pale and exhausted face.

“His fever has lasted too long and we need to bring it down as fast as we can, but without access to proper medical equipment, all I can give him a strong antibiotic. In his current state and being so young, there is only a ten percent chance of saving his pup. I’m sorry, Chanyeol, but there is nothing else I can do. We need to bring down your mate’s fever… It's the only way, I'm… I’m so sorry!” Yixing is talking a mile a minute, shoulders shaking in disbelief. The man is a gentle soul, always happy and giving it his all to help his patients and the knowledge that there is nothing he can do to fix this is crushing him. The moment he stops talking, Junmyeon walks over to him and squeezes his shoulder in reassurance, the two quietly looking on as Chanyeol struggles to internalize the information.

The Alpha can’t hear anything except the loud rush of blood in his ears and a white noise that deafens him. He can’t understand what he’s being told, he won’t understand it because this can’t be happening, _this isn’t possible!_

“No, no! Junmyeon no! There must be something else. There has to be anything else, please!” His voice breaks several times, but his mind is blanking and the fucking irony of the situation is grating against his nerves because the two men standing in front of him are looking at him with such sympathy it makes him want to throw up. This isn’t possible, this is a nightmare. This can’t be happening to him!

It feels like karma at its finest, except innocent and perfect Baekhyun is the one being punished for his neglect and for his mistreatment and he couldn’t have done this, _this can’t be his fault, oh please no…_

But the stubbornly unchanging look on Yixing face tells him that, yes, this is happening and that he has a choice to make and they all know, Chanyeol _knows_ that it’s not really a choice at all. No hospital would agree to treat a male omega, not without extensive bribing and money he just doesn't _have!_ The Alpha feels like the entire room is closing down on him, the walls seem to be moving and pushing closer and closer together until they are right upon him, about to crush him and he can’t breathe. _Why can’t he breathe?_

“Chanyeol, I’m sorry. But you have to make the call.” Junmyeon’s voice is soft, nothing like his previous angry tone and the Alpha wants to throw something at him, wants to yell at his brother for coddling him when he should be figuring out a different way to help Baekhyun and to save his baby, not give him empty words and force an impossible choice into his hands that will make Baekhyun hate him forever.

Crumbled against the wall, tears and snot streaming down his face, hands fisted in his hair and tugging sharply, he manages to say two words only. “Do it.” It’s the only words he can manage and even they sear down his chest like brands, the consequences they will bring crushing his very being into fine dust scattering on a windy, freezing day.

Yixing nods and moves quickly and everything becomes a blur after that as the man works quickly to relieve Baekhyun of his pain and prepares the necessary medications for the aftermath and when… _it_ happens and after a while Chanyeol can only blearily see the two share a look. Yixing begins to move over to him while pulling out a clean needle from its packet and measuring a dosage from a dark bottle.

“Wha-” he mutters, but Yixing has already gotten close enough to reach his neck and he injects the medication as quick as lightning, even as he tries to be gentle. After barely a minute, Chanyeol knows no more.

When the Alpha comes to, the first thing he feels is stiffness. Every single muscle in his body hurts and he slowly groans while rolling his shoulder and neck, trying to relieve some of the tension. He finds himself slumped in a heap on the floor, back pressed against the wall and his long legs spread out in front of him. In a sleepy haze, he begins digging through his memory of how and why is he sleeping on the floor of all things.

But then it hits him like thunder, the events of the last two days, or maybe one that had lasted for far too long, and just like that, he is back at square one.

He immediately seeks out the unconscious omega, eyes darting wildly back and forth around the room, and he only feels a tiny bit of peace when he finds he finds him still sleeping on the bed. Unlike last night, his breathing is even and deep, and he seems to be no longer in pain.

Then a small detail catches the taller’s attention: the sheets surrounding the sick man have been changed, their smell fresh and clean and imbibed with some sort of hospital disinfectant.

There is also something else hanging in the air; a faint scent that's barely there and it only takes one whiff of the metallic tones of it before the sharp taste of iron reaches his taste buds and Chanyeol feels sick.

_Blood…_

It leaves him running for the bathroom on stiff legs that refuse to cooperate and desperately grabbing for the bathroom sink a mere moment before any remaining bit of food he'd had left in his system leaves him.

But unfortunately, Chanyeol can't really remember the last time he'd eaten properly, so he chokes around air, dry-heaving as his eyes water from the effort.

He wants to go back to sleep, he wants someone to give him a magic pill that will make him forget because he knows as clear as day that Baekhyun will never forgive him for this. He'd seen the quiet protective instinct of the younger, he'd witnessed inconspicuous caresses and soft whispers, and he knows that Baekhyun wanted this. However afraid the omega had been, however disappointed and pained he'd felt over the Alpha’s actions, he'd wanted his baby. Baekhyun had been looking forward to their little pup.

And Chanyeol had taken that away from him too.

His throat closes and he can't swallow past the feelings that are rising up inside of his like a tidal wave. He's drowning and letting them pull him under, but he doesn't want to stop. He deserves this. Chanyeol wants to suffer.

A warm hand reaches out and starts pressing gentle caresses into the tall man's back. Chanyeol lifts his eyes only for a moment and meets Junmyeon’s sympathetic gaze in the bathroom mirror.

But sympathy is the last thing he wants, so he shrugs him off, aware that he's being cruel to his brother who only wants to help, but he finds himself incapable of caring.

Finally fully awake, the rational side of his brain begins working at full speed, quickly hatching a plan to make things better. Except at this point, there is no painless way to fix everything; it's far too late for that. All Chanyeol can do is perform damage control, giving Baekhyun someone to blame, as well as lending him a rock that he can lean on as he hopefully, eventually begins to heal.

The Alpha straightens his back and turns around, wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his button up. His eyes are swimming with determination and he wordlessly grabs Junmyeon and leads him out of the room, making sure to gently close the door behind them.

In the living room, he pushes his brother onto the sofa while he begins pacing around in circles, cogs whirring and crashing as he hammers in the last details of his plan.

_I have to make him better._

He must help him, even if it's too late, and redeem himself for all the harm that he'd caused.

“You must stay here, Junmyeon.”

His brother remains motionless; an intense rage in his eyes that lets Chanyeol in no uncertain terms that he is far from forgiven. His hands are folded over his knees and his gaze is unrelenting. Junmyeon represents the perfect image of quiet judgment and the Alpha feels a shiver crawl down his spine. He has rarely seen a truly pissed off Junmyeon over the years, but this, this silent treatment, is far worse than whatever he could have imagined.

He doesn’t feel like the man his brother had grown up with. He doesn’t even feel worthy of calling himself a member of the other’s family at the moment.

Their parents had been traditional in every sense of the word, drilling their own opinions into the two children like they were indisputable fact. Chanyeol had always been the more obedient one, having entered the family at eight years old and terrified that he was going to be kicked out and back to the small, fishing village he came from. The taller of the siblings always listened to what their parents told them, always did all of his homeworks on time and never strayed out of line. Junmyeon, while still following the rules, had always enjoyed finding new ways to twist them whenever they went against something he was passionate about.

It had all culminated the night of the older’s twentieth birthday when he had proclaimed that he had applied to a music program in China instead of continuing with his studies, like their Mother and Father wanted him to. Junmyeon had eventually left and fulfilled his dream of becoming a successful soloist and had recently even began producing, while Chanyeol had been the one left behind to carry on with the family business. 

The man was kind and sweet and told ridiculous dad jokes. He was the best possible friend to have around and the most amazing brother Chanyeol could have asked for. But he is also proud and stubborn and set in his ways and once he decides on something, no one can change his mind. Between the two, Junmyeon is the one who had always taken a stand and defended those considered lesser or poorer and who always made sure to give more than he received. His compassion knew no bounds, but so did his penchant for anger at those he felt did wrong.

And now, Chanyeol is the one on the receiving end of that feeling.

But it doesn’t deter him.

On the contrary, it makes him even more convinced that his plan is right and that he must convince Junmyeon to help him. If the shorter brother could care for Baekhyun the way he did after only a five-minute phone call and within two hours of knowing him, Chanyeol had no excuses left.

“Please, I know I did wrong,” he sits down in front of Junmyeon and closes his own hands around his. “But I have to fix this, Myeon-ah. I messed up badly. But I want to make it right. Please, please help me.”

Several seconds of silence stretch on into what feels like hours. His brother says nothing, only looks at him steadily, without even blinking.

After what feels like ages, he lets out one of the heaviest sighs Chanyeol has ever heard from the man and leans his head back on the sofa. Last night took a large toll on him too.

“Yes, you did. You practically ruined the boy’s life,” he concedes. “But you’re still my brother; no matter how big of an idiot you are so… let’s do this, shall we?”

During that entire time, the younger sibling’s phone keeps ringing, stopping only for the amount of time it takes to complete a re-dial. Chanyeol never picks up and never returns his former lover’s calls.

Baekhyun is the only one he thinks of and the only one he cares about. He is done being an idiot and he is completely over acting the part of the fool. That chapter of his life is dead and buried and he will do whatever it takes to bring Baekhyun back, not to him, but to himself, even if what that entails is the smaller walking away from Chanyeol in order to heal.

Seohyun will simply need to learn how to take the hint and live with his choice.

>>> 

When the last of the winter snow melts away and beautiful, soft petals bloom on gentle and frail stems, Junmyeon realizes how bitterly he regrets his decision to try and help Baekhyun. Staring out the window of the Park residence he sees the beginning of spring all around him. The sun is perfectly warm and the sky a clear blue; the birds are back from their long move and everything is in full bloom.

But inside the house itself, the clock is steadily ticking away in misery.

A black-haired, petite man is sitting on floor a couple of feet away from Junmyeon, somber and morose, staring at a children’s toy without blinking. His body is seemingly immobile, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest and the almost imperceptible shaking of his hands. A suitcase sits nearby, neatly packed, but nearly empty and the big hand of the grandfather clock is nearing the time when Baekhyun’s life in this house and as Chanyeol’s partner will come to an end. 

In the elder’s mind the image of a giggling Baekhyun, happily and blissfully playing with a giggling toddler, planting raspberries on his tummy and tickling him with slender fingers, replaces the heartbreaking scene that unfolds in front of him now and his chest aches at the thought that things have to end this way. Two weeks ago, for what had probably been the last time, the house had rung out with the child’s laughter and Baekhyun’s blue eyes had shone with delight.

Junmyeon should never had allowed Baekhyun to get attached to little Sehun.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. The omega had been hurting, withdrawn and barely responsive, choosing to spend his days hidden under the covers and refusing any form of nutrition. The sight of Chanyeol was the only thing that made the short man respond to them, but it was a violent, explosive reaction that left his vocal cords raw and his face soaked in tears.

Even though they had all expected it, the sight of Baekhyun crumbling into hysteria upon hearing the news of the loss of his baby brought tears to both brother’s eyes.

Chanyeol had decided to take full responsibility for it and the two siblings had sent Yixing away with a promise to keep him update on Baekhyun's condition before the younger man had woken up. Junmyeon had tried to get close to him in every way he could think of; he had tried to be Baekhyun’s support, but the omega refused any and all contact, shying away every time the elder tried to approach him.

The more Chanyeol tried to fix things; the more he attempted to approach his mate and the more of himself he gave, the more Baekhyun seemed to despise him, rejecting him with harsh words and deadened eyes.

There seemed to be nothing of him left, not a single, living piece of him that the brothers could use as anchor to try and pull him back to them. Chanyeol became increasingly more desperate, each failed attempt taking away a bit more of his determination. It got to the point where Chanyeol started to roam around the house like a zombie, extreme tiredness written in his sluggish movements. His skin lost its healthy glow and the skin around his nails became red with dried blood and torn away raggedly.

As his eyes got duller, Junmyeon’s fear grew exponentially. He couldn’t help either of them. Not without taking drastic measures. So he had dragged Baekhyun into his car, refusing the loud protests and angry curses the smaller threw at him and silencing Chanyeol’s tirade before it even began with a single, sharp glare.

There was a small orphanage he remembered from his childhood; the same orphanage that had taken in his brother after the younger had run away from his home town and tried to reach the city. His family had found him there, a young, bright-eyed Chanyeol who claimed that he was looking for someone, but never disclosed who that was. It was around a thirty minute drive away from the house, and if the children there couldn’t make Baekhyun smile, then he would know that nothing could.

But that had turned out to be a crucial mistake.

It had taken barely more than a step inside the old, rustic building before the omega had immediately zeroed in on a small child sitting further away from the rest. Junmyeon still doesn’t know whether it had been the scent of the boy that had pulled the omega to him or whether it had been something else, but Baekhyun had set his sight on the tiny pup then and simply refused to even look at the other children.

He had gone over to him, falling on his knees when he was an arms-length away and crawled over the rest of the way. He had softly extended his arm with an upturned palm and as the kid turned his head to look at this weird newcomer, Junmyeon saw the first glimmering spark ignite in Baekhyun’s eyes.

“I’m Baekhyun,” was all the petite man had spoken, voice grave and tender for his weeks spent in silence and the continuous shouting matches with his Alpha.

The raven-haired boy had looked at him properly then, eyes shining with intelligence beyond his years and his tongue poking out from the corner of his baby plump lips in deep focus.

Junmyeon watched on, standing practically forgotten in the corner beside the entrance while children of all ages continued running to and fro, lost in their world of games and happiness. This was a good place; the older Kim sibling had often visited here when he was younger to read stories to the kids and simply play with them. He made sure to donate whatever he could save up, forever grateful to the people there for saving Chanyeol and giving him his brother and also wanting to create at least one good place where the unwanted or unfortunate youngsters could have a somewhat proper childhood, free of abuse and neglect.

The child Baekhyun had taken a shining to; however, was sitting alone on one of the mini-tables, a raggedy doll clutched firmly in his hands and his eyes trained down on the floor. He was small, even when compared to some of the youngest in the room. Looking closer, beyond the toddler’s chubby face and underneath his messy, long hair lay big eyes enriched with irises the color of dark chocolate. Those eyes somehow spoke of knowledge and experience unlike that of typical children. A tiny, vertical scar rested on his plump, rosy cheeks, fully healed thankfully, a mark which Junmyeon dearly wanted to know where it came from birth or something that he was not truly keen on thinking about.

The young boy was dressed in a t-shirt that hung off his slight frame and pants that had been rolled up several times, while his feet were clad in adorable purple socks that had a steadily growing hole where his pinky toe was. Despite this, the way he was currently looking at his brother’s mate made Junmyeon feel like he was sizing Baekhyun up, almost as if he was evaluating him to see whether he was worthy or not for further conversation.

A bright smile had suddenly blossomed on pup’s face  and his plump lips had stretched wide to reveal that he was missing both of his front teeth. His eyes crinkled up, nearly disappearing as his cheeks puffed up and he beamed up at Baekhyun. Reaching towards him with the arm that was holding onto his doll, he pushed the toy at the omega and pouted.

“Can you fix, Mister?” is the first thing the toddler had said and Junmyeon found himself momentarily stunned at the loud, boisterous laugh that escaped Baekhyun, the wolf’s pale lips immediately upturning into the widest grin as he caught hold of the toy.

As he had held it in his arms, he noticed the back of it had torn open from frequent use and turned around swiftly to look for the carers and ask them for a needle and thread.

Junmyeon had simply pulled up a chair given to him by one of the workers and made himself comfortable, sensing that he was going to be here for a while.

Surrendering to the urge to eavesdrop on Baekhyun and the pup’s conversation, he had learned that the boy’s name was Sehun and that he was turning four years old in two days. The young wolf had refused to give any more information about himself that day, but Junmyeon’s and Baekhyun’s visit to the orphanage had lasted for a total of five hours, the two completely lost in some sort of make-shift game and enjoying themselves to their heart’s content.

Later, when Chanyeol’s brother had been forced to pull Baekhyun away because it was the children’s bedtime, both Sehun and Baekhyun had pouted while looking up at him, almost stunning the man into silence at how similar they looked.

Their lips were cutely downturned in a sweet pout and their eyes were vibrant and glossy, one blue pair and one brown looking at him in pretend annoyance while their faces were flushed red from too much laughter.

On the way back home, Baekhyun had quickly returned to his withdrawn and desolate self, but when Junmyeon walked him to his room there was a hidden glow in the omega’s eyes that told of deep gratitude and a newfound respect for the elder. But the peaceful evening and Baekhyun swift surrender to sleep that night for the first time since the Alpha had met the other had just been the calm before the storm.

The very next morning, Baekhyun had quickly pulled Junmyeon into his room, eyes slightly red and voice hoarse from sleep and demanded to be taken back to see little Sehunnie again. Junmyeon had tried to deny him, had tried to hold him back, having seen firsthand the quick bond the two had formed, but unfortunately Chanyeol had been passing by the room them and overheard the request.

Demanding an explanation on the situation, Junmyeon had calmly explained to his brother yesterday’s events. Even the Alpha seemed reluctant at first to let his mate reunite with the toddler again so soon, but Baekhyun sensed the taller’s weakness and spoke his first words to Chanyeol since that wretched morning that weren’t said with derision or anger. He was quite pleasant in fact, if a bit too neutral, and Junmyeon instantly knew that the attachment Baekhyun had formed with the young Sehun and his overwhelming desire to see him again was making him act nice to Chanyeol.

But his brother hadn’t been able to see that. Overjoyed by the fact that Baekhyun was speaking to him normally again, he immediately acquiesced to his requests and even gave his agreement to throwing the boy a small birthday party.

They had gone to see Sehun that very day and had returned to the orphanage the day after that armed with a beautiful cake the omega himself had insisted on making and several bags full of streamers and party hats and gifts for the youngster.

As Baekhyun obsession with the boy grew, Junmyeon tried again and again to warn his brother, but the younger didn’t see it. All he knew was that his lover was talking to him and treating him with kindness even after all of his wrongdoings and was completely blind to the fact that Baekhyun was just using him as a way to go out and feed his growing fixation with the pup.

Unfortunately, things only got worse from there. Baekhyun got more and more entranced with the boy and began treating him as his own, even going so far as to allow Sehun to call him _papa_ when the child had asked. One day, he had went and had a huge argument with the workers in the orphanage when they refused to let him take Sehun with him for a visit to the house and the fight got so heated, Junmyeon had no choice but to intervene and to force them to allow the visit to happen.

The moment Sehun’s little feet stepped through the door clad in blue-and-purple sneakers that Baekhyun had bought for him, they had lost the battle. The omega absolutely refused to let anyone take the small boy away, even letting his wolf take over and growling at anyone who dared come too near.

The moment the short man had turned on Chanyeol and snapped his jaw at him, the tall Alpha had finally snapped back to reality and tried to command Baekhyun to let the boy go.

It had all been a huge mess, with Sehun crying fat tears on the ground from all the screaming and Baekhyun turning human again and raging at him while Junmyeon was trying to hold him back. But following his outburst, Chanyeol had fully deflated and given no further response. It was as if all of his energy had suddenly been drained from his and the taller allowed his body to fall heavily backwards on the couch. Bringing his arms up, he buried his face in his hands and hung his head low, shutting out everything around him.

He hadn’t meant to scream. Once again, he had failed at reigning in his temper.

Both siblings had spent the night fully awake, while Baekhyun and Sehun were sleeping curled together in the king-sized bed, dreaming peacefully. Pointing out to Chanyeol that the omega was projecting his loss onto the child and that his overprotective instincts won’t allow any of them near enough to take him away broke through the despondency in Chanyeol and Junmyeon’s being ached at witnessing the return of the inconsolable man his brother had become the night when he had been forced to make the choice to save Baekhyun’s life over their baby’s.

His shoulders had been shaking and his hands were rooted in his hair, but he wasn’t releasing a sound, only sharp gasps that stabbed at his brother’s heart. He had only wanted to help… _so how had it come to this then…_

Taking the matter into his own hands, Junmyeon accepted his role as the bad guy and arranged for the child to be taken back to the orphanage the very next day. He and Chanyeol stood no chance alone, even if they had joined forces as two strong Alphas against Baekhyun. The shorter’s maternal feelings would rather have him tear into them and fight to the death before letting go of the pup he had taken under his wing and adopted as his own.

So Junmyeon had ended up calling his and his brother’s friends: Kai and Kyungsoo and Taeyang and Seungri, people whom he could trust with his life and people who wouldn’t give a damn what Baekhyun was, but would probably turn on Chanyeol instead for not telling them about him sooner under different circumstances.

It was a deeply underhanded move and the omega still despises him for it and refuses to even look at him, but Junmyeon can’t bring himself to regret it.

In the face of his trickery, Chanyeol had actually jumped to the omega’s defense, trying to stop the group from taking the child. He had begged for them to reconsider as he found himself restrained alongside Baekhyun who was tracking and biting his captors, Kai and Junmyeon, with all the force he possessed in his deceptively frail body. But all them refused to be swayed, ignoring the Alpha’s pleas of talking it over, of finding another way, and it wasn’t long before the sobbing child was being cradled into Kyungsoo’s careful arms and carried out of the house, the youngster’s distressed cries of papa echoing in the house hours after he was gone.

In one last desperate attempt, Chanyeol had shifted into his animal form. Between one blink and the other, standing on top of the shredded remains of his human’s clothes, was a majestic black wolf with long, shiny fur and large coffee-colored eyes that shone with intelligence.

He had growled at the others, barring his sharp teeth and snapping his jaw at them. He had even attempted to terrify poor Kyungsoo who had just entered the room after depositing the child with the carers that had been waiting out front; the sweet and reserved omega Junmyeon had found begging on the streets of Beijing, with filthy clothes and fresh claw-marks running down his neck and torso. Sensing the imminent threat, Jongin had quickly jumped in front of the other, his Alpha instincts constantly on high alert to protect his mate.

Behind them and away from the scuffle, stood a stunned Baekhyun, hands restrained behind his back by Seungri. The sight of Chanyeol's spirit animal had shocked Baekhyun so much that he'd stopped struggling all together, unable to move a single muscle. His eyes had become as wide as coins and his jaw clenched while he gaped at the majestic animal whose presence dominated the entire room as his brain worked furiously to reconcile the scene in front of him with the one in his memories. _It’s impossible_ , his mind tried to insist, but he was seeing the proof, alive and beautiful and growling at the others, right in front of him.

Chanyeol's wolf had been his companion for as long as he could remember. The two had the same strong build, starting from their elegant, tall neck to the soft fur on their muzzle that hid a powerful jaw, all the way down to the long, thick legs that were built for incredible speed and the sharp claws that adorned their paws.

The Alpha, _his_ Alpha, was the reason Baekhyun had survived in his own personal hell at the Academy. The same wolf that had been his comfort for so long had protected him and cherished him even when Chanyeol himself was being an idiot and ignoring him. The spirit animal of the older man had been Baekhyun's salvation and undying spark of hope...

… and Baekhyun didn't know if he could deal with the discovery. He stopped paying attention to what was happening around him, fully lost in his own head, searching trace after trace and memory after memory of where exactly things had gone so wrong.

He didn't even notice when Seungri had dropped his hold on him and went to help Junmyeon calm Chanyeol down, before quickly walking out of the room with the others. Their purpose had been achieved and there was no use staying around. The omega still stood, lost in a daze, and his gaze was completely blank while his Alpha was still glaring daggers at the lot of them, now human again.

So they had all just left them alone, no one wanting to disturb the distressed pair any further. Junmyeon had walked away from the room with a final _it was for the best, brother_ and closed the door with a quiet click. Stunned silence reigned over the pair before a loud sob burst forth from Baekhyun and he crashed into Chanyeol’s waiting arms, the two finally coming together just a little too late. They had stayed huddled together, drawing whatever crumb of comfort they could get from each other. Baekhyun wept for his discovery, for his loss and all the things that could have been had they just been a little stronger and just a little bit more in love, and his Alpha offered nothing, except mere silence, his own shoulders trembling with jagged breaths as all the adrenaline drained out of him.

The next morning the couple had walked down the stairs together and announced that they had reached a decision. Sensing Baekhyun’s hatred of his brother and unwillingness to speak to him, Chanyeol had taken the initiative and told his sibling the pair had decided to split.

Of course, the taller attempted to claim that they had made the agreement together, but the disappointed look on his face spoke volumes to Junmyeon. Baekhyun had made the call on his own, disregarding Chanyeol’s desires. Whether that was a good thing or not, only time would tell.

So here they are now, waiting out the last few moments before the car arrives and takes Chanyeol’s mate away, to a destination unknown to both to the omega and his Alpha.

Junmyeon had spared no expenses, once again enlisting the help of Kai and Yixing to arrange for the younger to be taken somewhere safe and where he wouldn’t be at risk because of his nature as an omega, but making sure to insist on the location being kept a secret from his brother.

The Alpha was away from the house, refusing to stay and watch the smaller leave, claiming work as an excuse even though he had been finding every possible shortcut and justification to evade his job for months now. The older sibling can understand, because Baekhyun had become particularly distrustful and suspicious of the two brothers in the two weeks it took for the preparations to be made and the smaller’s papers to be faked.

He would keep turning a hateful glance in Chanyeol’s direction whenever the taller was looking, even though no harsh words ever crossed his lips. And while Junmyeon felt like the shorter’s behaviour was no more than a mask to protect himself and to stop himself from reaching out to his stupid Alpha because of the brief moments when he would catch an unfamiliar look on Baekhyun’s face as he surreptitiously gazed at his mate, he felt it was no longer appropriate for him to get involved in the private matters of the couple.

So while Chanyeol is away, roaming the forests in his wolf form and cursing himself for the thousandth time and for his thousand mistakes, Baekhyun walks out of his former home and enters the black car that will take him away from his Alpha forever with his head held high and without even a single look back at what he was leaving behind. 

His Alpha isn’t there…

_… And there will be plenty of time to cry on the plane anyways…_

>>> 

Even after everything he’s been through: even after years of abuse and heartbreak and severe depression, this moment right here and right now, is still one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of Baekhyun’s life.

Standing in front of an inconspicuous blue door, the omega feels shivers crawling down his spine and cold sweat beading across his forehead as his heart desperately tries to escape through his mouth. His blue eyes are wide with fear and he thinks that he’d be happier facing a horde of rogue wolves, than ringing the doorbell that is innocently taunting him, standing all golden and shiny in the center of the aging wood.

Four long years had passed since he’d walked out through this doorway and into the waiting vehicle with his head turned away in apathy and chest swelling with utter numbness. Back then, he’d thought that it would be forever. He had said his goodbyes and memorized every inch of the already well-known space. He’d broken down and wept in the car on his way to airport and spent night after night hugging an unfamiliar pillow, mourning for everything that he’d lost and all the things that never were.

And now he is back.

It seems like nothing is different, from the outside at least, but appearances are oftentimes deceiving. The small rearview mirror of his rental car told him that he looks about the same as he did four years ago, if a little curvier and more polished–looking, but on the inside he still feels like the same scared wolf who first stepped through the threshold of this house and entered a completely new life he was woefully unprepared for.

Except, now he doesn’t really know what he is walking into. He had abandoned that life and he had abandoned the man whom he had shared it with. Baekhyun isn’t sure if he’ll be allowed back once again. He doesn’t know what is waiting for him inside once he rings that doorbell. He doesn’t know if he’ll be allowed to even enter the premises.

Byun Baekhyun feels like a mere stranger standing in front of what used to be his own home.

And he doesn’t have any idea if he is still welcome here.

He had walked away from this house and he had left Chanyeol behind. It had been the best option at the time really, but bitter remorse still flooded his veins each time he felt the pitiful whine of his wolf that became more and more apathetic each day and every single time their bond would pull against his soul trying to call him back to his mate, salty tears would escape him unbidden.

He had hated the older man back then; he had despised his Alpha with every inch of strength that he had had in his body, even while a part of him rebelled against the harsh feelings and maybe Chanyeol had deserved it, but months of thinking over the past and what they could have possibly done different had only brought Baekhyun to the conclusion that reminiscing about their wrongdoings and days gone by was futile.

They had both simply been shaped by their upbringings and living their lives on completely opposite sides of society, one as an outcast thrown away by his own species and the other as a supposed leader of the same people who had oppressed him. Whether their mating had been happened by a random roll of a dice or by some divine hand that had brought them together was unimportant. Neither knew any better and neither could have changed the outcome of their story. They were a couple brought together against the wishes of society and thrown into the metaphorical fire.

Today, Baekhyun is simply happy that they had at least tried to make it work and thinks that even if their whole relationship was built on misunderstandings and stereotypes and stupid decisions which had eventually spelled their end, the two could at least say they’d come out of it better and with a new perspective on life.

At least he wishes that Chanyeol thinks the same. He truly hopes that Chanyeol doesn’t hate him and that the alpha has managed to find peace and happiness once the smaller had finally gotten out of his hair. Their bond can never really be broken, but Baekhyun has learned to live with the pain and he hopes that Chanyeol has learned to do the same.

As a matter of fact, Baekhyun had had a very interesting encounter almost as soon as he’d arrived here, still waiting at Incheon Airport’s luggage pick-up area. A pretty brunette with a sweet smile had been standing a couple of feet away from him, one large hand cradling a baby and the other holding onto a bouquet of roses. Baekhyun had recognized her immediately, although her scent had slightly changed throughout the years.

Seohyun was right there, just a short distance away from him and Baekhyun had almost laughed out loud. _What a welcome back_ , he thought. He had been about to move away, pick up his suitcase and the large carry-on he had taken with him while he waited for all of his other things to arrive from Hong Kong, but he’d been a second too late. Chanyeol’s assistant had caught sight of him and stopped in her tracks, even as the man she was accompanied by tried to get her attention.

She never approached him, but a soft, regretful smile tugged on his lips as her head bowed slightly. He read the apology in her stance and shook his head a little, embarrassed by the display. If he’d been the same Baekhyun from four years ago, he’d have been petty and required a lot more than an apology to set things right again. But things were different now.

So he’d simply watched her mouthed _I’m sorry_ and waved her off, smiling back in acceptance. The man she was with seemed familiar and Baekhyun took a step back in shock when the other wolf turned his head towards him and the omega found himself starting right at Wu Yifan, Chanyeol’s friend and the director of their company's branch in China. Kai had told him a bit about the tall alpha during their long conversations throughout the years and claimed him to be as set in his way as Chanyeol used to be.

But now, as the other’s eyes widened when they took in his scent because Baekhyun refused to hide his nature from anyone anymore, and simply chose to look away and land a sweet kiss on his mate’s forehead, Baekhyun felt that perhaps there was always more to someone than met the eye. Seohyun smiled up at her lover and turned to the short man one last time, this time muttering a clear and distinct _go back to him_ before the two walked away.

Baekhyun had simply pretended like he hadn’t understood. Because begging Chanyeol to take him back was not the reason why he had returned.

Naturally, a part of Baekhyun will _always_ love the other; he will forever cherish and care about the alpha who made him feel so complete, who taught him so much about the world and about himself. But that’s not why he is here today. The day Baekhyun left, Chanyeol had been a broken man, weary and beaten down from all the constant battles he had had to fight against himself while trying to fix his wrongdoings to his lover.

The alpha had learned to care for Baekhyun, maybe even began to love him eventually, but the never-ending struggle between what he had been raised to believe and his feelings for the younger had taken their toll. In the end, taking on the responsibility for the loss of the baby and then dealing with the omega’s depression and obsessive attachment to little Sehunnie without having any knowledge or means to cope with the situation had proved to be more than he could handle.

Even when he was fighting against his own demons, even while he was simply fighting to stay above water, some part of Baekhyun could see the entire process unfolding in front of him.

He saw Chanyeol slowly breaking down.

He saw the gradual death of the fiery determination in his eyes to make it all better for the both of them and his eventual quiet acceptance of defeat.

So he had asked to leave.

While a part of Baekhyun almost enjoyed Chanyeol’s torment and relished seeing the taller hurting as what he felt then was retribution for causing him pain and costing them their pup, the dominant side of him, the one that loved and adored his giant, couldn’t handle being the cause of Chanyeol’s pain.

The day before he left the house, the alpha had come to him and given him a final kiss on the forehead. Chanyeol never made a fuss, but Baekhyun could see the silent desperation and the unspoken plea on the other’s face.

And he had chosen to ignore it. Nothing good would have come out of him staying and after so many years apart, Baekhyun can confidently say that leaving was the singularly best thing he had done in his life. The two were extremely stubborn and both of them lost in their own grief as they were, locked in their own respective battles, would have eventually destroyed them.

So that’s why he is here today.

Not to beg for love or for the rekindling of their relationship, but to ask for forgiveness and make amends. He only wants to ask for Chanyeol’s time to say his part and maybe receive comfort in return, even if it was nothing more, but empty platitudes.

Yes, Baekhyun had done well for himself in these past few years, becoming the driving force behind the acceptance of male omega’s in Asia and working with multiple police departments and agencies in the states to crack down several smuggling operations, cracking down one bigoted idiot after another, until they began to listen and take him seriously. He was successful at it, too although the continued support of Junmyeon and the friends he’d met through him was a major factor, but still his conscience wasn’t clean. His abrupt departure weighed heavily on his mind, always taunting him and reminding him that he could help so many achieve peace and a better life, but that he had failed in delivering the same to the other half of his own soul.

However, ringing the doorbell is currently giving him anxiety and his pulse is skyrocketing. His arms feel like lead and he doesn’t think he can move an inch for the life of him. He tries and tries again, but his throat feels like he has swallowed a rock and the little, blue door is about as terrifying as a ten-foot dragon breathing fire who is about to tear its teeth into him.

Unexpectedly, the decision is made for him.

A faint whiff of a distinctly-familiar smell and the sound of heavy footsteps is all he is given as a warning before the door swings open and a tall man with midnight-black hair is smiling down at him.

Baekhyun gapes, body frozen in shock and disbelief, at the sight of the other.

Chanyeol is simply standing there, a wide grin on his face that emphasizes laugh lines that the omega doesn’t remember. He looks disheveled, like he had been in some kind of a fight, and his clothes are disheveled and wrinkled.

His gorgeous, red locks are gone, replaced by a curly mess of black which falls over his eyes. The almond eyes Baekhyun used to love staring at are covered by sleek, black frames and surprise lances Baekhyun’s chest when he notices a milky veil covering the left iris.

“It’s rude to stare, you know. Tch, you still don’t have any manners, I see.”

The alpha’s voice washes over the smaller’s man and it has the same effect as sinking down into a warm, fragrant bath after the longest day ever. The sound envelops him and Baekhyun feels almost smothered by its intensity, but Chanyeol’s tone is playful, almost trembling and silently reassures him that _yes, you are more than welcome_ and _yes, you have been sorely missed_.

A loud laugh escapes the older man at the other’s stunned silence and he rolls his eyes in warm exasperation. Chanyeol brings one large hand to clutch at his chest, supporting himself on the door with the other and he heaves a long, dramatic sigh. “Hyun-ah, I feel hurt. Have I gotten that handsome that you forgot how to speak?” taking a pause, he looks the smaller man over and chuckles. “And breathe too? Breathe Baekhyun, breathing is very good for you, you know.”

And Baekhyun does as the other tells him, his lungs expanding fully with a loud, gasping sound as he remembers how to draw in oxygen into his body. But the action has an unexpected consequence as the air around them is infused with Chanyeol’s overwhelming scent, still as masculine and beautiful and breathtaking as Baekhyun remembers and in a heartbeat, he feels like he has _finally_ come home.

A teasing yap echoes suddenly and it takes a moment for the omega to realize that it’s coming from inside of him, more specifically, his head. Chanyeol’s wolf has already taken it upon himself to greet his mate, the two animals adorably tangled together, playfully barking and biting at each other. The alpha’s smile softens, fading into a peaceful serenity that shaves years off of his face as his eyes close in obvious bliss. On the other hand Baekhyun finally finds the power to move, a small and dainty hand sharply reaching up to wipe his watering eyes before Chanyeol sees.

Their spirits’ reunion tugs at his heart, warmth and happiness overflowing in his chest and grabbing hold of his emotions like a vice, and he almost wishes he could tackle the man standing in front of him just like his wolf had done to the other’s animal. Fortunately, he manages to hold himself back just in time.

Right then, it becomes more than clear that he needs to get this over and done with as soon as possible. He needs to talk to Chanyeol and leave immediately, preferably before he manages to make a fool out of himself and ruin four years of progress and moving on, because _fuck_ , he doesn’t just _care_ for Chanyeol.

He is still absolutely and utterly in love with the dumb giant.

The sight of him standing tall and proud in front of him, so utterly welcoming and perfect, muddle his head and mess with his feelings and he suddenly wants to know everything that he’s missed; he wants Chanyeol to take him out onto the porch at the back of the house and hold him in his arms as he regaled him with tales and stories of all that’s happened while he’s been away and then tell him that he still loves him too, loves him enough that he wants to try again and _dammit_ , he is willing to wait as long as it takes for that, because he loves the old Chanyeol and he wants to fall even more deeply in love with this new one.

Instead, Baekhyun takes a deep breath, carefully breathing through his mouth to prevent a new attack by Chanyeol’s pheromones which still saturate the air around them, and braces himself.

“Chanyeol, I-”

“Ah, he speaks! Finally, I thought you were going stay quiet the entire time. Come on, what are you still doing there? We just made spaghetti and meatballs, they’re already cooling at the table. You can eat with us and no, I’m not taking no for an answer. Come on, get in,” Chanyeol is rambling, they are both perfectly aware of that, but all Baekhyun can think is that this is a glimpse of the new, older Chanyeol who had apparently become a rambler, because his old Chanyeol would’ve never allowed himself to talk on and on like this.

A slip of tongue on behalf of the taller causes the omega’s brain to get stuck and short-circuit as he plays back the alpha’s words, “w-w-we?”

He is stammering and at any other time, he would’ve been embarrassed by that, but the possibility of there being a _we_ instead of an _I_ in Chanyeol’s life stops all coherent brain processes and he feels unable to comprehend anything else except for that little piece of information.

“Hm? Oh of course, I almost forgot. He’s been waiting to meet you, I think he is about to jump through the roof because he’s so excited,” and now he’s just messing with Baekhyun. He must be. Wanting to meet him? Chanyeol’s new lover? _What the hell was happening here?_ “By the way if you wanted to keep your coming here today a secret, then I’m sorry, but it didn’t work. Blame Kim Kai, that blabber-mouth, we knew you were coming since a week ago and I all I have to say is _finally!_ What took you so long to come and see us?”

All this time, Chanyeol is quickly leading him through the house, having taken the younger by the elbow and successfully evaded the his wide-eyed gaping. Baekhyun has no time to focus on his surroundings and notice all of the little changes made to his former home. He is almost certain that Chanyeol is doing this on purpose and talking so much just to distract him, but no matter how hard he tries, he cannot find any possible reason for it.

Before he can open his mouth and question the older however, Chanyeol stops abruptly and moves aside just seconds before a small wrecking ball hits his lower body. Baekhyun lets out a startled oomph and he can feel himself flying backwards from the impact, but the alpha is still holding onto him securely and stabilizes him before his feet can slip off of the floor. A wobbly cry pierces the air and a childish voice rings out, sounding choked with tears.

“Papa, finally you’re home!”

Baekhyun looks down then and for the second time finds himself immobilized by complete shock.

There, hugging his legs in a desperate grip and face streaming with tears is a little boy with overgrown hair and a tiny scar on his right cheek. The child refuses to let go and only hugs him tighter, muttering intelligible words between quivering gasps and loud sniffs. Baekhyun’s jaw drops and he is the perfect image of disbelief, gaze flying to Chanyeol. The other man is simply standing there, eyes crinkling at the corners and a beautiful smile playing on his lips, gaze full of utter adoration and love as he stares at the youngster. The omega manages a soundless _Chanyeol_ , but the alpha simply shakes his head at him and waves his arm towards the boy still clutching his legs. _All yours_ , he mouths back.

With trembling hands, the omega manages to pull the child away from him and immediately drops to his knees in front of his. His blue eyes trace over the boy’s features, from the cute bump at the ridge of his nose to the plump lips and adorably small eyes. His skin is pale and a sharp contrast to the indigo black of his hair, but the most apparent features is the small scar resting on his right cheekbone. His fingers are as cold as ice, all the blood having practically drained from his locked limbs, but he manages to raise them and delicately trace the other’s face. He makes a pass over long, curly lashes and the hidden dimple of his cheek, before finally letting out an almost inhuman cry as he envelopes the child in his arms.

Baekhyun is incapable of saying a word, but a steady stream of _Sehunnie_ falls from his lips and Chanyeol surreptitiously brings his hands to his face and pretends to adjust his glasses when the first salty droplets begin to sting the corners of his eyes. His heart swells impossibly large with love for the two wolves hugging and crying in each other’s arms, huddled on the floor. He wants to join them with a near burning desperation, he wants to pull Baekhyun in his arms and finally see his little family complete. But he doesn’t. He forces his body to remain stationary at his place by the coffee table and look on as father and son reunite after four, excruciatingly long years.

It is true that Jongin had told him of Baekhyun’s return to Seoul well in advance, but the idiot had refused to share any information about the reason behind his homecoming, or even drop any hints about the omega’s potential feelings towards the taller. Instead, the younger alpha had thrown a cheeky laugh his way and walked off, claiming that Kyungsoo demanded his immediate attention.

 _Well_ , Chanyeol scowled internally, _at least those two are blissfully happy and in a good relationship._

Deciding to get the still-cuddling pair’s attention, Chanyeol claps his hands. Startled, father and son look up from the floor wearing identical pouts on their cute faces. Stifling a laugh, Chanyeol attempts to look stern as he looks over the two and taps on his watch with two fingers.

“I don’t know about you two, but I am absolutely starving. Now, did I slave away at the stove for hours just for you two to let it go cold with all your mushiness? The answer is no, by the way, so butts off the floor and come on.” He begins walking to the kitchen, still attempting to be strict and imposing, but can’t resist to chuckle to himself when Sehun lets out an undignified humph, “you were only in there for an hour appa, don’t you always say that it’s bad to lie?”

 _Smartass_ is the word Chanyeol would use to describe his son and he swears that he somehow managed to get it from Baekhyun. The older Sehun gets, the more Chanyeol finds himself dumbfounded at how similar the boy was turning out to be to his former partner. Still, he keeps on walking, choosing to give the two some time on their own.

In the living room, finally managing to tear himself away from Baekhyun, little Sehun reaches out with his little hands and begins wiping the tears off of the man’s face. “Don’t cry, papa,” he begins. “Appa always told me so many stories about you, but I missed you so much and sometimes even cried wishing you were here. You’re finally with us now, so no more tears okay?”

His chubby fingers continue erasing Baekhyun’s tears the moment they begin falling and the omega feels his heart stutter and explode as he watches his little baby all grown up and mature. He still doesn’t believe this is real, he feels like he might have fallen asleep somewhere during the way and this is all an intricate fantasy his starved mind has come up with, but the feeling of the younger’s hand is very much real against his skin and he smells just as he did when he was a baby, innocent and perfect and just a tiny bit mischievous. But there is also a tone of maturity to the boy now, one that wasn’t there before, a sweet scent of responsibility and thirst for more that reinforces the reality of the situation in Baekhyun’s mind. The older’s entire being is tingling, butterflies swarming in his insides and blood rushing with love and adoration for the sweet pup now standing in front of him.

Sehun doesn’t say anything else, not someone to speak without a purpose unlike his other dad, but his actions warm the omega’s weary soul. A quick glance around the living room gives him the unmistakable feeling of home and comfort: a perfect little safe haven full of colorful toys and warm, lavender-painted walls with a comfortable-looking sofa situated opposite a large window and a child-proofed coffee table standing on top of an intricately-patterned rug. It hits Baekhyun then, an all-encompassing sensation of belonging and perfection and he suddenly wonders how is he supposed to leave after today and just how is he supposed to walk away after getting a taste of the little slice of paradise Chanyeol had built for the two here, a space that was once so bleak and dreary it made Baekhyun’s skin crawl.

Chanyeol calls for the two again and the moment is broken, Sehun grabbing onto the older’s hands until he ruefully smiles and heaves himself up. He is certain he looks an absolute mess, his carefully-arranged clothes disheveled and his hair flying every which way, but the way the young pup is looking at him makes him feel like a superhero clad in the finest of robes, so he just playfully musses the boy’s locks before grabbing his hand and going to the alpha where he is waiting for them.

The house isn’t that big and the layout is simple, but Baekhyun finds that leading him and Sehun into the dining area is a simple as breathing, pure muscle memory making him take all the right turns before finally, they are standing under the archway of the small kitchen.

In his mind, Baekhyun superimposes the image of this moment to a similar moment four years ago, of his first day in this house as Chanyeol’s mate and the difference couldn’t be more obvious. He had been both terrified and simultaneously elated that day, happy to have escaped the clutches of his Masters and landed in the hands of a seemingly-nice alpha, but still worried and self-conscious of his actions and the possible consequences they may bring.

He still feels both of those emotions, but unlike then he fully trusts Chanyeol now, he trusts his alpha and his former lover with his entire soul, even after being apart for so long. He watches as the older man pulls Sehun in his arms, giving him a brief twirl around the small space and an exaggerated wink of _I told you so_ before letting him down and turning away to finish bringing out the plates. Sehun licks his lips as he settles on the table, taking Baekhyun’s former seat, and claps his hands in anticipation as his dad presents his plate to him with a dramatic flourish. Once again the omega is left standing alone in the entryway, but instead of apprehension, the impossibly domestic scene makes him want to weep.

_How do I walk away? How do I move on now?_

His mind a million miles away, he misses Chanyeol sneaking up to him and the alpha’s hands raising to his sides, so he jumps a when he feels a warm touch tickle his sensitive skin over his suit jacket. He tries to glare at him, but Sehun is holding his sides and almost crying through his laughter. The boy has never seen his appa so playful towards anyone, but himself in all of their years together, so this is most definitely a sight to remember for the impressionable child.

Baekhyun doesn’t laugh, but he does chuckle, indulging the immature duo, but makes sure to send Chanyeol a serious stare. The other nods when he is sure Sehun can't see and returns the stare with one of his own and the shorter receives the message loud and clear. _Later_ , he’s saying and again a hurricane of butterflies storm Baekhyun’s insides. He doesn’t know if it’s with anticipation or fear; he is both excited and frightened of their upcoming conversation. Or confrontation, but he is sincerely hoping for the former.

Dinner passes in much the same manner, with more talking than eating and more unarticulated noises than actual conversation, but the two adults at the table are content to slip into this new dynamic. They tell themselves it’s for the younger’s sake; Chanyeol himself can’t remember the last time Sehun looked so animated and bright, but both of them know the relaxed atmosphere also serves as a balm to their souls, the mere presence of the other easing years of pain and unhealed wounds for the former lovers. It might only be a one-off or it may be the beginning of a new kind of forever, but the two simply enjoy finally being in the same room together and getting a taste of the life that they once could’ve had, had things gone differently.

Cleaning his plate first, Sehun jumps off of the table and ignores his appa’s admonishments, pulling Baekhyun away too. He quickly leads them to the couch in the living room, letting the omega settle in first and burrowing into him the second he sits down.

Within minutes, Sehun has turned on the TV, found his favorite show and is completely unaware of anything, but the events on the screen, while Baekhyun’s eyes shine with pure affection as he looks down at him.

Somewhere during the course of the dinner, between teary laughter and spilled water, the excitement of the omega’s return has faded into a quiet sort of contentment. A boy of only seven, Sehun finds it easy to brush off years of loneliness while his appa worked to put food on the table and the near-constant taunts of his peers for not having two parents. He is happy to leave that part of his life behind and settle into a new _normal_ and finds it more than easy to make room for his beloved papa into his daily routine. 

So the young pup is thrilled to sit utterly still, buried into the older’s side, with only his adorable face peeking out from the other’s embrace. His small fingers are clenched around the fabric of the Baekhyun’s shirt as his small eyes scrunch together and his cheeks puff out with every inhale of breath. Sehun’s tongue is curled around the side of his upper lip, while his bushy eyebrows furrow tightly in concentration.

Letting a soft smile slide onto his face, Baekhyun’s slender fingers begin gliding smoothly through the black strands of the younger’s hair. After allowing the pup to grow more comfortable, an idea comes to him and he slyly moves his fingers to the tot’s forehead, massaging the soft skin as he goes. He adds a little pressure when he reaches the deep lines creasing into the skin and grins cheekily. “You are far too young to get wrinkles, baby. Do you want to look like your appa even before you grow up?”

An undignified yelp escapes Sehun at the same time a loud hey sounds from the other room. The boy’s head whips up to glare at his papa and his nose scrunches up cutely, making Baekhyun’s grin grow even larger. However, the younger is a trickster at heart and so he decides to backtrack as he places a chubby finger on his lips and pretends to be in deep thought. “I guess so, papa. You’re right, I’m too young to get appa’s wrinkles.”

Chanyeol’s heavy footsteps sound on the hardwood floor and Sehun gives Baekhyun a sneaky smile as his appa’s affronted face comes into view. “Alright you two, stop making fun of me. You, Park Sehun, are not allowed to speak such blasphemous things about your appa. Look at me, I don’t look a day over twenty.”

As the child begins roaring with laughter and rolls his eyes at Chanyeol’s antiques, Baekhyun looks up at him from the back of the couch and feels his cheeks flush. His Alpha, his former lover – still incredibly tall and stunningly gorgeous with his now-dark hair and protruding ears, dressed down in a simple shirt and slacks, is drying his hands with a kitchen towel while his plump lips stretch into a jaw-dropping smile. The alpha is making his heart pound again and Baekhyun feels himself fall in love with the older all over again. Cursing himself for his foolishness, he drops his head down, hiding the redness in his face. Chanyeol’s smug grin as he comes over to join them however, let him know that the other is very much aware of the effect he had on him.

“No dessert for you, young man, just for that cheek.” Chanyeol teases as he drops his head down to press a quick kiss on the child’s forehead. He drops the towel on the table and takes his seat next to them, picking up the boy into his arms, wrapping his long arms around him in a hug.

Baekhyun smirks and is about to throw in another quip, but his eyes land on Chanyeol’s. The alpha is looking at him, refusing to release his gaze, and the omega feels suddenly trapped into Chanyeol’s stare that has turned impossibly loving and soft.

He had allowed himself to gloss over it in his earlier state, but now his breath whooshes out in sharp fear and anxiety as the long eye-lock affords him perfect view of his Alpha’s left eye, the one that twitched whenever Chanyeol got caught up in a fit of laughter, now milky-white and glazed over.

_Is it_ _my fault? Is it possible that I’m somehow responsible for this?_

Baekhyun doesn’t know, but just the very thought of the possibility that he had done this to his own mate causes a suffocating heaviness to settle firmly into his chest and bile rise up in his throat.

Noticing where Baekhyun had focused his attention, Chanyeol blinks and turns his head away, breaking away from the hold of the shorter’s intense blue irises. He settles on Sehun, who is nestled in his arms and whose body was beginning to droop even as he tries to focus on the show he is watching. Pressing his lips together tightly, the alpha begins to subtly change the atmosphere of the room, allowing the boy on his lap to further relax and fall into dreamland more easily. Baekhyun’s stare and the reminder of the alpha’s disability had effectively broken the easy camaraderie both alpha and omega had fallen into and instated a more serious and somber tone around them.

Dropping his voice to a mellow, quiet tone, he whispers gently to Sehun. “It’s time for bed, baby.” The young wolf sleepily lifts his head from his appa’s shoulder and attempts to protest, but his words are slurred and barely understandable. He gives up less than two seconds later, simply plopping his head back down on Chanyeol’s shoulder and letting out a deep yawn.

The alpha drops another short peck to the boy’s forehead, before tightening his hold on the boy’s thighs and standing up carefully. He starts to move towards the child’s bedroom-converted guest-room, but seems to remember something and stops. “Don’t go anywhere, Baekhyun. I mean it.” He doesn’t even look at Baekhyun as he says the words; he simply readjusts the ever-growing Sehun and takes him upstairs.

Baekhyun wants to follow. He wants to see the room his little boy has been living in, but the uncertainty keeps him rooted to the spot. The omega feels like he’s overstepped an invisible line, even as his curiosity makes him plunder on, growing into a fearsome beast. It keeps prodding at him to look for answers; it makes him want to know exactly what he has missed and just how the tiny toddler that Chanyeol blamed for his deeper fall into depression four years prior ended up now calling the older wolf, appa. He had been right: everything was different now and it seemed that the man he once called his lover had suffered the most drastic change of all.

A sharp pang slices through Baekhyun’s gut as that white iris flashes in his mind’s eye and guilt threatens to overtake him fully. He doesn’t know why, but every bit of the omega’s instincts is screaming that he had caused the elder’s injury… somehow.

Lost in his own head, Baekhyun misses Chanyeol’s return downstairs. The alpha moves quickly into the kitchen to avoid being seen by the smaller and when he comes out, he is carrying two mugs in his hands. Placing them carefully on the coffee table, he approaches the younger cautiously, knowing Baekhyun’s tendency to space out and how easily he startles.

A tender touch on the omega’s shoulder and Baekhyun almost lets out a screech, but he catches sight of Chanyeol’s drawn eyebrows and unimpressed face, so he bites down on the sound so sharply he almost chokes. Huffing out a breath, Chanyeol moves away and shoves one of the warm mugs into his hands before starting for the kitchen. “Keep up, Hyun-ah… and please be more careful not to wake up Sehun. None of us will appreciate that one. But him especially, trust me, he turns into a little monster when he doesn't get enough sleep.”

Baekhyun kicks his feet into motion at the other’s command and follows him quickly through the kitchen and out onto the porch. Nostalgia sings in his blood when he steps outside and his eyes widen as he takes in the soft swing set up in one corner and the blankets and pillows that dominate the rest of the space. The entire deck looks… untidy and like something a child came up with and set-up rather than an adult, but as Chanyeol settles down comfortably on the floor and pulls over several pillows he looks more like an overgrown kid himself, rather than a man well into his mid-twenties. Baekhyun smiles as he tries and fails to see much of a difference between the boy currently asleep upstairs and the man who is grumpily wriggling around on the ground.

He looks down at the mug Chanyeol had given him earlier and lets out a short-lived squeak when he realizes that the beverage is his former favorite tea: a special blend he had found digging through Chanyeol’s cupboards one day and had quickly become a devout lover of. Bringing it to his lips, the smell of the blend – tangy forest fruits infused with a hint of spice just like he remembers, fills his nostrils and makes him breathe in in deep pleasure. A small sip later and Baekhyun is in heaven, the flavor he had never been able to replicate years later no matter how much he tried, exploding on his tongue and sending his taste buds into overdrive. He looks over at Chanyeol who seems to have finally made himself comfortable and is about to thank him, but the other male beats him to it.

“It happened in the forest,” he begins. “My eye, I mean. I was in my wolf form at the time and running through slippery terrain. It was raining and I couldn’t see the softened ground, so I slipped. I fell down several feet of wet dirt and broken branches before finally stopping. I didn’t feel any pain at the time but some time later, my left eye began blurring and the doctor said tiny wood shavings had probably embedded themselves inside and caused retinal scarring as the tissue healed around them. I can still see a little bit, but it’s like looking underwater. So I just chose to wear contact lenses; it made people ask fewer questions when I began losing my balance and depth focus if they thought I had completely lost sight in it.” He ends his sentence with a long sip, choosing to take a moment and swirl the liquid in his mouth before leaning his head back and slowly swallowing.

Baekhyun gulps down the rising anxiety and walks over to join him on the soft blanket. He sits down gingerly, buying himself time while he figures out a polite way to ask the question resting on his tongue. He doesn’t find one and breathes out heavily, “how… why were you out there, Chanyeol?”

“Sehun.” The alpha’s answer is short and determined. “I had stopped by the orphanage to check on the boy, after you… after you left, I mean, but they told me he had run away. They-they told me that he had kept muttering something about going back to his papa several days before sneaking away during the night. No one could figure out how a three year old boy could have managed something like that, but the damage had already been done. I ran out to find him as soon as I heard.” Baekhyun’s chest squeezes at the misery radiating from his former lover’s voice. He wants to comfort him, but he doesn’t know how. So his hands remain stationary, clutching his own mug as silence falls around them. Regret pools in his mouth, bitter and heavy on his tongue, as his suspicions are confirmed. He was the one who did this to Chanyeol. Even indirectly, he had been the one to turn his own mate practically blind.

“Stop,” the booming of Chanyeol’s voice cuts into his self-recrimination. “I would do it all over again, in a heartbeat.” Looking up, Baekhyun finds the taller looking straight at him, a silent strength and power emanating from his entire being. “He-he had wandered off of the path he had been following and gotten lost.  That’s what he told me later on. He was tracking your scent and was actually pretty close to the house when I found him, but the rain had diluted the scent’s strength. It took…” the alpha’s voice breaks and he takes a sip of what Baekhyun now sees is coffee before starting again. “It took 4 days before I found him and another week for him to recover fully from being out in the wild for so long with no food or shelter. Sehun, his desire to find you, to be with you... his love for you… it brought me to my knees, Baekhyun.”

A proud smile stretches his mouth and he’s not even present anymore, lost in the memory of those days. “Here I was, a full-grown Alpha with so many years under my belt and I had just let you go away without a second thought. But this boy, this tiny, three-year old refused to be parted from you to the point he risked death just to find you. He humbled me. He shattered every bit of pride and every stupid, arrogant comment I could’ve possibly made in my defense.”

All of a sudden, he starts laughing and Baekhyun wonders if today is proving to be too much for Chanyeol. When he speaks, the older’s tone is full of disbelief, “he started yelling at me as soon as he woke up and I told him you had left, can you believe that Hyun-ah?” The old nickname keeps on slipping from his tongue without hesitation, but Baekhyun finds he doesn’t even mind. He rather likes it. “This toddler had woken up after a week of deep sleep and started making a fuss with as much strength as his small, raspy voice would allow him that I should go and bring you back immediately and that I _‘was a dumb dumb for letting you go’_.”

Chanyeol shakes his head then. “He was right, you know. I would’ve done anything to bring you back by my side. I tried looking for you. I kept asking around and even tried to blackmail Kai and Junmyeon into telling me where you were. Of course, the bastards refused. I felt like tearing my own hair out. But then Sehun happened and… together the two of us… we came to realize that we had to give you space. That you had the right to live in peace and find your own happiness in life.” Baekhyun’s heart is beating somewhere in the vicinity of his heels and his jaw is nearly touching his floor. This new piece of information brings his mind to an absolute standstill and as much as he tries, he can’t seem to process the revelation.

“I adopted him later on, officially. No one had ever come to ask for him and he had already been living with me for a year,” Chanyeol seems to hesitate at this point and one hand unconsciously reaches up to his neck and makes several passes back and forth. “You’re listed as his other parent, Baekhyun. They asked if I wanted to list a second guardian and I-I gave them your name. We are still officially mated, so… he’s ours… if-if you want…” the taller’s voice trails off into silence and between one blink and the next, Baekhyun sets aside his mug and throws himself at the alpha.

Within the space of a day, Baekhyun had gone from living a relatively happy, but empty life, to becoming a parent of an amazing and wonderful little boy. Chanyeol catches him on reflex, steadying his own cup by pure instinct and blindly reaching for a flat surface to set it down on.

Baekhyun is in his arms, warm and real and here, and the sensation causes little explosions on every inch of bare skin the other is touching. It is too much and nowhere near enough, having been left bare and cold without his other half for far too long, but Chanyeol will take what he can get, because his heart has been grieving all this time and for the first time since the smaller had walked away from him, he finally feels like he can breathe again. He manages to set his coffee down, utterly uncaring if it spills at this point, and wraps his own arms around Baekhyun’s middle. His hands and fingers immediately begin exploring, caressing up and down the omega’s back, desperate for reassurance that this is real and that he won’t wake up again, alone and face dripping with tears in a bed too large for only one person.

The younger’s breath tickles his neck and Chanyeol shivers, body fully charged with electricity ready to erupt in flames. His pulse is racing and saliva pools in his mouth no matter how much he swallows. He is trying to suspend his incredulity, but each press of Baekhyun’s body against his feels like an impossible dream. “Baek-Baekhyun… Hyun-ah. Finally! Oh, how I missed you.”

At the words, Baekhyun seems to stiffen and still in the embrace. Terrified that he had made a misstep, Chanyeol pulls back immediately and tries to capture the other’s face, but he is resolutely staring at his lap, only a pretty smattering of red visible from the light reaching outside from the house. “Chanyeol, I…” he sounds uncertain and small and Chanyeol wants to smack himself for being so stupid. Is this the grand talk he had promised himself he would have with Baekhyun if he ever came back? _Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

Grabbing his face and gently cradling it into his large palms, Chanyeol tenderly brings his head up and smiles at the sight of his mate’s insecurity, so clearly painted on his pretty features. “I’m going about this all wrong,” he announces.

“Chanyeol, I’m not…-”

“I still love you, Hyun-ah. In fact, I love you more than I ever have. These four years have been hell to survive, but seeing you here right now, so strong and proud and full of confidence tells me that it was the right thing to do for the both of us, no matter how much it hurt. You have always been beautiful, baby, but right now you are shining. You are so bright and so gorgeous I think my heart will explode just from looking at you.”

Bringing his face closer, the alpha presses a sweet peck to his former lover’s forehead. It is innocent and chaste, just like the kisses he had given to Sehun earlier, but the hands holding his jaw tighten almost imperceptibly. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, love. You’re here now and honestly, for me that is more than I ever even dreamed of. Where we go from here is entirely up to you. A long time went by without our soulbond feeling so whole and complete. Just know, that whatever you choose, Sehun and I will be here and that we will support you no matter what you decide to do.”

Tears glisten at the edges of Baekhyun’s droopy eyes and a huge smile slowly blooms across his face. It is Baekhyun’s smile, that same thousand-megawatt grin the taller had first fallen in love with, and even as he reads just a small amount of doubt in the ridges of the omega’s forehead, he finally feels optimistic.

Their wolves have joined them now, the animals returning to their respective places within their hosts, eager and brimming with anticipation, sensing the positive development occurring between the two men. Between the four of them, the soulbond connecting Chanyeol and Baekhyun glows a fierce red, emotions sliding easily back and forth through the link and sweet, vibrant hope coloring the air they breathe. “Tell you what,” Chanyeol gets up from the ground, quickly dusting himself off before reaching out one hand to the wolf still sitting on the ground.

“There is no need for an answer today. Take your time, Hyun-ah. Get to know me first. I’ll do everything I can to make you fall in love with me again. I’ll work hard this time, I promise. I’ll make sure to give you all the love and affection and care in the world. I want to know you; I want to know who you are deep inside. I want to see firsthand each little way time has changed you and made you into this confident, amazing person I see before me here today. Let me court you, properly. Let's go out on dates and have movie nights and go to amusement parks with Sehun and long runs in the forest. What do you say, Byun Baekhyun? Will you give this stupid idiot another chance?” And he stands in front of the younger wolf, hope and expectations swirling in almond-shaped eyes covered behind dark-rimmed glasses and even through the lenses, Baekhyun thinks that they are shining. Chanyeol is wrong, it’s not him that is full of light, it is the other way around and the alpha is the one who lights up Baekhyun’s way.

No matter where the smaller goes he knows that no doubt Chanyeol will be there, walking no more than a step in front of him, checking for any hidden dangers, always and forever so fiercely protective, but this time also determined to let him make his own way in this world who still strives to oppress him. He thinks of the old Chanyeol, the man who was no more than a boy when it came to matters of the heart, and feels his chest swell with pride as he sees the man standing in front of him today, accepting and kind and so deeply open with his emotions.

Baekhyun thinks of Kris and Seohyun and Tao and Donghae and all of the others who simply refused to accept him and saw him as anymore more than a nuisance and the dirt under their shoes.

But then he looks back up at Chanyeol and realizes that in the end, those people don’t matter at all. Because as long as sweet, darling Junmyeon and his unwavering support exists, as long as Kai and Kyungsoo learn from his and Chanyeol’s example and fight to make their love last, and as long as there are people like Yixing and Jongdae and Minseok and Luhan who had never batted an eyelash when faced with the truth of his nature were around, he was never alone.

And just like that, Baekhyun knows his decision has already been made for him the very moment he decided to return to his home and to Chanyeol. It was never even a possibility for him to simply say his _sorry_ and walk away. But looking at the alpha, at _his_ alpha, makes him feel safe and certain of what he is about to do.

It will be a long, tough road ahead; the two are practically strangers once again. Baekhyun doesn't want to simply pick up his entire life and move it back into this house that hold so many bad memories that still give him nightmare at night. He wants to see Chanyeol try. He wants to see the alpha work for his affection and try his best to be a proper mate and husband.

Baekhyun's heart constricts at the thought of delaying their proper reunion, but he is determined to get it right this time. To fall in love the right way and to build their future on proper foundation. The omega wants to be sure all the little bumps in the road and the potential misunderstandings will be ironed out and cleared up before he gives him over to the taller again. Except this time, unlike ever before, Baekhyun has no doubts about their chances of success. This time, they will go slow and try harder and be better and communicating their wants and feelings and thoughts. They have missed a lot from each other’s lives, but Baekhyun knows they have missed each other much more.

His answer is a strong, resounding _yes_. But watching the taller sweat a little and seeing how his frustration grows while he waits for the omega’s answer however, is simply far too good of an opportunity to miss out on.

Baekhyun brings his thumb to his lips and pretends to chew on it, face lowered and eyes averted from the alpha. A strangled sound escapes the man standing above him and the shorter barely manages to suppress a grin. He stands up far slower than necessary, putting his best poker face on and allowing no emotion to peek through as he raises himself to his full, still-ridiculously-shorter-than-Chanyeol height and beckons the man to lean down with a wiggle of his index finger.

Adorable confusion rests on the tip of his tongue as he takes in a breath and Chanyeol slowly leans down, his face on equal height with Baekhyun’s now. The omega leans forward, bringing his mouth to the other’s ear and presses a ghostly touch on the soft flesh with his lips, “That is _Park_ Baekhyun to you, _lifesaver_.”

A shudder shakes through Chanyeol’s entire body at the words so intimately whispered to him and a quivering whine gets stuck at the bottom of his throat. Baekhyun moves his head again, his cheek just a hairs-length away before he turns his head and presses the gentlest kiss at the corner of the taller’s mouth. “Let’s not try. Let’s _succeed_ this time, Chanyeol-ah.” Baekhyun makes another adjustment in their positions and the next words are whispered directly against Chanyeol’s plump lips, hot air leaving him in soft pants and intertwining with the other’s shallow breaths.

“My answer is _yes_.”

And he seals his answer on the other's lips with a short, sweet kiss.

>>> 

_When Baekhyun is seven years old, his dad takes him on a trip._

_Their journey begins early and little Baekhyun is woken up by his mother at only 6 in the morning. She quickly dresses and settles the boy on the table, observing him fondly over the rim of her steaming cup of tea. Her son’s hair is a mess and his face is swollen from sleep.  His small, droopy eyes struggle to stay open and his fork continuously clatters against the plate. Unbothered by the racket, Baekhyun rushes to shovel in his food as fast as possible so he can go and join his father who is waiting by the car._

_When they arrive at the terminal, Baekhyun is slightly disappointed not to find any children his age to keep him company during the long trip. Instead he clings to his father, hanging onto his arm. The tall man by his side just smiles down at him and indulges the little wolf’s whims._

_Bucheon is all Baekhyun has known during his short life._

_His excitement spills over and drenches the air around him. His enthusiasm is contagious and the elders and sleepy workers that keep them company on subway smile at the boy and his obvious happiness._

_Boarding a new train at Sindorim station is an experience all on its own, even as father and son rush to take the next train that will lead them very close to the heart of Seoul itself. This part of the journey is short and goes by quickly, stopping at just under an hour. The large metropoly is a clutter of tall skyscrapers and bustling people, the pungent smell of pollution lying heavily in the air. The air is chilly around them and permeates the enclosed space of the train. Baekhyun is undeterred, however, and stays firmly glued to his window, eyes wide and unlinking, unwilling to miss even a single moment. Bucheon is not that different from Seoul, but each new sight takes away the little boy’s breath as if he is discovering something completely new and never seen before._

_His father’s choice to take the boy above-ground for the short walk from Gangbyeon Station and over to the Dong Seoul Terminal affords the young with a majestic view of the Han River. The water shines in the rising sun and Baekhyun is stunned at the vista stretching out before him, unable to look away even as his tummy growls._

_His father chuckles and is forced to pull the boy and away as they quickly make their way inside the station to purchase their tickets. There are so many people around and the omega finds himself intimidated, but acqueses to wait on a nearby bench while his father buys their tickets. Making himself comfortable, Baekhyun reaches inside the backpack his mom had prepared for him pulls out one of the sandwiches waiting inside, munching on the bread as his lungs expand and take in the stale tang in the air with each breath. The artificial light beat down on him, strong and almost dreary, but the warmth of imminent summer is clear in the short-sleeves and beads of perspiration present on every passenger that crosses his line of sight._

_His father comes back just as the boy finishes his meal and the duo make their way over to the terminal when the train is about to arrive and prepare for the long journey ahead. This second stretch is far more exhausting than the first. Although Baekhyun is unaware of the constant screeches and creaks that rattle the rest of the travellers, all the shakes and bumps along the road make him pout unconsciously._

_Three hours later, they are firmly ensconced into yet another vehicle, a bus this time, that will finally take them to their destination. The bus that greets them at Samcheok’s station is an express, but it’s still uncomfortable for the tired boy. Baekhyun’s muscles are feeling cramped and there are nearly forty stops along their way and during one of them, the bus lurches forward sharply and the boy loses his balance. His head falls against the seat in front of him, his forehead and nose getting the most of the impact and he looks at his dad while his eyes start to water. His father winces as he sees the redness on his son’s face and the bus continues its route while he rubs gently over the injured areas. The boy’s eyes drop to his dad’s mouth as the elder begins to speak._

_“I’m sorry, buddy. We’re almost there, okay? It’s just a little further.”_

_Baekhyun smiles in response, never one to stay down for too long and pulls away from his father’s hand. His blue eyes swivel back to the window and he gazes at the slow-moving surroundings, the blue of the ocean clearly visible as they near their destination. Finally, almost an hour later, the bus stops and they get off, limbs shaky and stiff after the rough ride._

_Jangho-hang is a small seaside village with a very small population and jaw-dropping sights._

_The travelling pair still has a bit of walking to do, but Baekhyun doesn’t mind in the slightest. His tiredness and aching forehead is immediately forgotten as his eyes drink in the old houses that litter the road. The wind is gentle and it carries on its wings salty air interspersed with the pungent smell of sea-life._

_His father is holding him firmly by the hand, but the young wolf is impatient and tugs his dad along as his sight jumps from one place to another. Coming to a halt when they reach a long stretch of sparkling sand, the tall Alpha kneels down to face the boy and holds his bony shoulders that shyly peek beneath his thin shirt._

_“Stay close to me, Baekhyun-ah,” his father implores. “You might get lost and the tides here are unpredictable. If you wander too near to the beach, you might get pulled under.”_

_As a veteran fisherman, his father knows the rules that govern life at sea like the back of his own hand. His son is small and frail and one tumble in the sand or a single misstep along the sharp rocks can spell disaster. He doesn’t want to limit the boy and tie him to his or his mother’s side. He knows his son’s blood calls him to explore; to seek out and find. But he also knows the dangers that lurk behind hidden corners and shadowy streets._

_His age is just another impediment and the boy’s inability to hear just further sets the Alpha’s teeth on edge and heightens his protective instincts._

_But Baekhyun isn’t looking at him anymore. His eyes are wide and his bow-shaped lips are open as he seeks out something the father can’t see. The boy twists out of his hold and looks around wildly, his delicate hands tracing patterns in the air as he rapidly rotates from one side to the other._

_“Baekhyun?” the Alpha reaches for the boy, concern flooding his chest and eyebrows pulling together._

_Suddenly, the child pulls away completely and begins running, wolf ears poking out of his black hair and straining against the sides of his head._

_Baekhyun knows his father is concerned. He is usually an obedient boy with a bright disposition and positive attitude. But the singing... He runs, his senses leading him to a place unknown to him, the sound he feels flooding his system and pulling him in like a spell._

_It almost hurts him, the foreign sensation grating against his ears. He has never heard a living soul speak before. He has never heard the sound of birds chirping or a front door closing or his own footsteps hitting against the pavement as he plays. He has never heard anything._

_In his youth and naivety, the boy cannot understand what is happening to him. Late night stories and daily history lessons from his mom completely escape his mind and lay forgotten somewhere in a dark corner. All he knows, all Baekhyun can comprehend, is that the sweetest melody is coursing through his body and setting his mind at ease. The sweet voice provokes a feeling inside his very soul that he has never felt before from another living being, apart from his family._

_Comfort and safety._

_Lazy Sunday mornings and the mouth-watering smell of freshly baked cookies._

_It douses his senses and his wolf is thirsty for more. He runs and runs, through streets and covert allies, until he reaches the docks. He can see him then. A young boy is standing at the far edge at one of the platforms extending over the water. He is tall and would surely tower over the young omega. The stranger’s voice wobbles unsteadily, childishly, as he stares off in the distance. His back is facing the shorter, but nervous energy tickles his nose unpleasantly and suddenly there is fierce desire igniting in Baekhyun. He needs to make the boy happy again. He must make him smile._

_He can’t help himself. Baekhyun has to move closer. His footsteps clack against the wooden boards of the platform as he nears the other, simultaneously fighting with the onslaught of sound that invades his every pore._

_Breathing deep, Baekhyun steadies himself and approaches the taller, focusing all of his senses on the voice still threading the air around them. It is a mesmerizing song, though the meaning is lost to him, but the strength hiding behind it forces everything else into mere background noise._

_He is a bit chubby, Baekhyun notes with a smile._

_Stepping beside him, he smiles brightly and extends his fingers in a playful wave._

_The stranger startles, round eyes widening comically. He cuts off his singing with a strangled yowl and turns his body to face the newcomer. No further sound leaves him, just strange noises that seem halfway between gasps and choked squeals which prompts delightful giggles from Baekhyun._

_He’s cute, his wolf yelps._

_“Hello, I’m Baekhyun and I think you’re cute,” he smiles, waving again to the other._

_The taller is a plump boy with wide eyes and a round face, with black-rimmed glasses hanging low on his nose. His cheeks are adorably red, the flush spreading all the way to his large ears that poke out and frame his face._

_“I-I,” a broken stammer rips from his mouth. “I’m… Who are you?”_

_“I told you. I’m Baekhyun. I like your ears.” Baekhyun has always been too honest. Watching the other’s eyes narrow as his hands quickly snap up to cover the appendages, he winces. “They’re cute,” he adds quickly. “I really like them. And I like your voice as well; you have an amazing voice.”_

_The taller simply stares. His eyebrows pull together and his arms slowly fall down. “R-really? You really think so?”_

_Baekhyun simply nods, a large grin puffing up his cheeks._

_“I’m… I’m–”_

_A shout rings out in the distance and Baekhyun turns on his heel. His father is approaching the two, a deep frown distorting his face. The wolf grimaces and stares at his dad. He knows he is in big trouble. The platform almost shakes with the strength of the elder’s steps. “What is the meaning of this, Baekhyun? What did I just tell you?” he yells from the distance, hands clenched into fists by his side._

_Baekhyun is both shocked at the deep gravel of his father’s voice and the growl the man lets out._

_“I’m sorry,” he squeaks. “I am so sorry, dad. But I heard someone. I heard him.”_

_The tall stranger is standing rigid by his side, surprise plastered on his face and a good amount of fear coloring his countenance. He doesn’t understand the emphasis this weird boy places on the word heard, but judging by how the man stops in his tracks and almost falls over, he doesn’t think it’s anything good._

_Baekhyun’s father growls again, stalking to them and grabbing Baekhyun’s forearm. He glares at him, partly in shock, but mostly in fear, as he spits, “you heard nothing. And we’re going home.”_

_Baekhyun jumps in fright as his dad starts dragging him away, turning his head towards the other, “but dad, he’s… I can’t leave, I heard him. I need to-”_

_“You need nothing!” His father cuts him off sharply and all Baekhyun can do is stare wide-eyed at the cute boy he had just met; the boy that stood rooted to his spot, seemingly unable to move._

_His eyes are apologetic and one arm is reaching out to him, but his dad twists him forward and pulls him along. Baekhyun is forced to tear his gaze to the front to prevent himself from tripping._

_He is sure this is something he will come to regret._

_Something in his chest is twisting and beginning to hurt and he doesn’t understand why. All he knows is that somehow, the tall wolf is important to him. Crucial, even._

_But he is not given the chance to find out why. His father holds him firmly to his side making sure he won’t escape again while they are waiting for the bus._

_His wolf is whimpering pathetically inside his chest, curled down in a small ball and ears pressed tightly to his head._

_Mate… It howls, but there is no one willing to listen. The petite omega is too young to understand the ache in his chest and the yowling of his sandy-haired wolf. He cannot see the faint red string that is extending from his chest and disappears into the distance, reaching out to where he had left the stranger. His chest burns and his ears are drooping down._

_I never even got his name…_

_His father’s silence and the low rumbles he emits scare Baekhyun into submission. He shuffles to his seat quietly once they finally board the bus and as the vehicle leaves the sleepy village, a lone tear escapes the small omega’s eyes._

_He doesn’t know why and he doesn’t get to find out for a long time to come._

_The red string pulls, burning like live wire, intensifying the pain the further they go._

_Mate…_

_The cute stranger is left behind to clutch at his chest in wonder, gritting his teeth against the disturbing feeling of loss that is coursing through his body. His mind is buzzing in confusion and his wolf is jumping erratically, unwilling to obey and settle down._

_He doesn’t understand what just happened. Weeks quickly turn into months and the sensation never quite goes away._

_His wolf is subdued and quiet. It wanders around in misery with his tail curled in-between his legs as the boy’s eyes slowly lose their shine._

_Years go by._

_And their red string pulls._

_“I’m Chanyeol.”_


End file.
